This was a popular scam during the Gold Rush in the 1800s in states like Arizona. The seller takes ore from a profitable mine and carefully disperse it on its non-productive mine, hoping to close the sale of the claim. Some scammers use shotguns, fill the load with gold dust, and blow the walls of the shaft, soaking them with gold particles. Gold was malleable and would imbue itself with a rock, giving worthless mine a heavily mineralized façade.
Salting the Mine (14/30)
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