Story of a Senen Gold Trader Turned "Field Agent", Losing Tens of Millions Due to Plated Gold

In the pavements of Pasar Senen, Central Jakarta, gold transactions do not always take place behind shop display cases. Several street stall traders have become “field agents” who collect scrap gold from residents, ranging from dented rings and broken bracelets to snapped necklaces, which are then handed over to capital owners and melted down again into new jewellery. However, this job is not just about quick profits. There are major risks lurking in every transaction, especially when traders encounter fake gold of the plated type, which shines on the outside but contains cheap metal inside. Poman (60), one of the street gold traders in the Jalan Senen III area, still remembers the moment he realised the gold he had just bought was fake. He says the type of gold that most often traps street stall traders is “plated” gold. To the naked eye, the item looks like real gold, yellow and shiny, with convincing weight, even shaped into jewellery that appears normal. But when rubbed deeper or cut, the inside turns out not to be gold. “The outside is sprayed with gold, but when we cut or rub it, the inside is not gold,” said Poman. At his simple stall, Poman does not have a display case like a jewellery shop. He only uses a small silver-coloured cart that has been modified, placed on the pavement near the Senen Multiguna Bridge. On the front, there is an orange sticker that reads “BUY GOLD BUY”. Above it, simple items like plastic bags, wallets, and hats are placed just like that. “I only buy. The items I buy are scrap, the broken or damaged ones. Then I sell them again to the boss. The boss is the one who melts the gold,” Poman explained. He admitted that gold transactions do not always happen every day. To supplement his income, he still works as a motorcycle taxi driver. “Because this gold trading is not certain every day that people come,” he said. However, once deceived, the loss can erase the results of weeks of work. “If lucky and the plating is thick, the loss is not too much because we can still scrape it,” he said. A similar story comes from Limbong (45), another street gold trader in the Senen area. He has been doing this job for 10 years since migrating from Medan.