Complaint Review: GoldIRA.com Gold IRA.com_Capital Gold Group_Safeasgold.com_SAFEASGOLD.COM_SafeAsGold.com_Jonathan Rose_Capital Gold Group_CapitalGoldGroup - Sherman Oaks California

HILLSBORO, Ore. - After the death of her husband, Nola depends on her trusty dog Zero for companionship. And she depended on a man she never met for financial advise.

C went to Capital Gold Group, Capital Gold Group-CapitalGoldGroup-Safe As Gold-SafeasGold.com-Gold IRA,GoldIRA.com, Jonathan Rose for advise about investing her retirement money, and she said a Capital Gold salesman demanded her financial records.

"He called me back and he said, 'Well, you are bleeding, and we can stop the bleeding,' " she said.

The salesman told C she needed to invest a huge part of her retirement funds in gold.

"And he started listing, we should take this and this and this, and it amounted to $344,000," she said. "I said, 'No.' "

That was a sales pitch that Capital Gold CEO Jonathan Rose, pictured below, uses at conventions, where he shows himself

Photo shopped rubbing shoulders with President Bush and billionaire Steve Forbes.

Soon after C called Capital Gold Group-CapitalGoldGroup-Safe As Gold-SafeasGold.com-Gold IRA,GoldIRA.com, Jonathan Rose, Capital Gold, a Federal Express driver showed up at her door with a letter she was supposed to sign on the spot.

After the FedEx driver left, C realized she had just signed a contract to buy $344,000 in gold.

"I called them back and I said, 'I don't want to spend $344,000 in gold. Just don't want to do that', and they said, 'Well, you've already signed the contract. You'll either buy it or we'll take you to court and we'll get everything you have,' " C said.

C eventually agreed to buy $82,000 in gold. But it took months of waiting and fighting to get any of it. Eventually, she started seeing small shipments.

But she noticed something strange about the monthly deliveries - most of the coins were silver.

When she had her coins appraised by a local dealer, he determined that her $82,000 investment was worth only about $48,000.

"They were all very common," said appraiser Robert White of Bradley's Coins. "They really aren't considered investment quality coins."

And the silver?

"Those coins were selling for absolutely no more than $25 or $30 dollars per coin," White said.

Invoices from Capital Gold show the company charged C $90 per coin. That meant she paid more than $20,000 for silver coins she never agreed to buy.

"They ripped me off royally because they could get away with it," she said.

But C did not give up. She took her case to an arbitrator who finally awarded C more than $67,000 in September. However, Capital Gold has not responded, and C money never arrived.

C is not the only investor upset with Capital Gold.Capital Gold Group-CapitalGoldGroup-Safe As Gold-SafeasGold.com-Gold IRA,GoldIRA.com, Jonathan Rose

According to a reliability report from the Better Business Bureau, there have been 13 complaints filed against the company.

"They have had consumers complaining against them not only for the deceptive advertising but for unfair business practices," said the BBBs Marcella Kallman.

C has this word of advise for anyone who gets a call from Capital Gold.

"Hang up," she said. "Don't even listen to them."

KATU News tried to reach Capital Gold's, GoldIra.com Safeasgold.com, safe as gold, Gold Ira.com Gold IRA CEO Jonathan Rose at his home and office in California and at Capital Gold's headquarters in Las Vegas but he did not return dozens of calls and e-mails.

KATU News also learned the Las Vegas headquarters is really just an empty storefront. Rose advertises on radio stations across the country including a local Christian station in Portland.

Financial advisers say investing in gold or other precious metals can be profitable, but they say it should be done in moderation.

They recommend doing background checks on companies before investing in gold coins or foreign currencies.

Make sure the company is licensed with the state.

Check on the business's reliability with the Better Business Bureau, the attorney general's office and the Federal Trade Commission.

Get information in writing, including contact information and business addresses.

Coin dealers also recommend taking possession of the coins instead of allowing the seller to hold your coins.