The Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation announced tightened oversight of gold shops and sellers and said any store selling unstamped jewellery or violating legal standards will face legal penalties. The agency said it is monitoring sellers engaged in fraud in coordination with security authorities to prevent jewellery from being sold outside licensed shops.

The JSMO is the only entity in the kingdom responsible for monitoring precious metal jewellery and overseeing jewellery trading. All imported jewellery is examined and stamped by the JSMO before being released onto the market, and local workshops are required to submit jewellery for inspection and verification before it can be sold.

The JSMO has received complaints about companies, websites and social media groups engaging in fraud by promoting the buying and selling of gold, especially broken gold, through unlicensed individuals. Fake online advertisements and social media groups have been luring people in Jordan with promises of quick profits from cheap gold, with sellers disappearing once funds have been transferred or customers receiving counterfeit and substandard metals.

"Buying gold through unofficial channels does not guarantee that the jewellery conforms to legal standards or carats," said Wafaa Al-Momani, Assistant Director General for Regulatory Affairs and Director of the Jewelry Directorate at the JSMO. The Cybercrime Unit of the Public Security Directorate has also warned citizens against buying gold through social media advertisements and confirmed receiving multiple complaints of fraud linked to the trade.

The Jordanian Association of Jewelry and Goldsmiths has documented numerous complaints and court cases resulting from gold sales conducted through social media platforms that often use edited or fabricated images and fake offers to attract buyers. The association has also filed complaints with the Cybercrime Directorate against unlicensed and anonymous sites that appear and disappear without warning, leaving victims unable to secure their consumer rights.

"The cases monitored so far appear to be individual incidents that do not amount to money laundering," said Rabhi Allan, Head of the Jordanian Association of Jewelry and Goldsmiths. He urged citizens to buy gold only from licensed and accredited shops that display official prices and issue proper invoices.