Fraudulent commodities

Name(s): 
Sale of non-existent commodities
Nature 
Each year $1 billion worth of false commodities, securities and merchandise is sold over the telephone. Tens of millions more are sold by newspaper ads, direct mail and door-to-door solicitation. The products include nonexistent gold, bogus oil and gas wells and counterfeit "signed" prints by famous artists.
Broader 
Type 
(D) Detailed problems