Al Hilal exit Club World Cup after narrow defeat to Fluminense    Saudi leadership congratulates President Trump on U.S. Independence Day    Saudi Arabia tops global ICT Development Index for 2025    Hamas says it is consulting other Palestinian groups on Gaza ceasefire plan    Germany seeks agreement with Taliban to take back convicted Afghan migrants    Saudi Crown Prince, Abu Dhabi deputy ruler discuss regional stability, strategic ties in Jeddah    Hotel occupancy in Saudi Arabia rises to 63% as tourism workforce tops 983,000 in Q1 2025    Saudi e-commerce sales jump to SR69 billion during 1Q 2025    German Chancellor calls Saudi Crown Prince to discuss regional developments    SFDA to penalize 996 erring establishments    'Morally repugnant': US Cardinal hits out at Trump's immigration policy    At 90, the Dalai Lama braces for final showdown with Beijing Reincarnation    Alkhorayef Commercial Company partners with XSQUARE Technologies to elevate logistics automation in Saudi Arabia    Portugal and Liverpool FC winger Diogo Jota dies in car accident in Spain    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    Al Hilal sign Abderrazak Hamdallah on loan for Club World Cup push    Lacazette joins NEOM SC as Saudi Pro League newcomers boost attack with French star    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Paying the price for red mercury mania
By Abdullah Al-Maqati
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 16 - 04 - 2009

Saudis in search of a quick buck have begun paying the price for investing in rumors that the Singer make of sewing machine contains the so-called “red mercury” substance.
As the rumors started sweeping the Kingdom a few days ago the prices of Singer sewing machines rocketed from SR200 to hundreds of thousands, with one reported case of a machine being sold for half a million riyals.
After various authorities around the Kingdom denounced the rumors and clarified the existential status of “red mercury” – that its very existence is entirely unproven – some Saudis who saw the opportunity for a quick buck were subsequently left with painful losses.
“I heard the rumors and went straight out and bought a sewing machine for SR11,000, hoping to sell it on for maybe 50,000, as I'd read about such prices on the Internet,” said one Saudi in Taif who wished to remain unnamed.
“I've been trying to get rid of it now for two days, but without success.”
The young man said he had been saving the money he spent on the Singer to buy a car.
Financial losses have not been the only upshot of the rumors. Friendships have also fallen by the wayside, and fights over sewing machines have sparked family disputes.
“Some of the women in the villages around where I live have ended up in fights,” said a man in Dhulm. “They'd been going to each others' houses asking to borrow machines so they could do some sewing, and then instead took them to the market.”
“Other people,” he continued, “have been going to friends' houses to demand back the sewing machines they gave away as presents years ago, and I've also heard of guys getting into fights with their brothers over sewing machines belonging to their mothers and grandmothers.”
In Jeddah, the head of forensic evidence said he knew who was behind the rumors. “The rumors about red mercury were started by African conmen,” Saleh Zuweid said. “Laboratory tests have shown that the sewing machines do not contain the so-called red mercury.”
“These conmen claim that the substance can be used as food for the Jinn who will then bring you lost or buried treasure from deep in the ground,” Zuweid continued. “They also claim it can be used to multiply your money ten times over.”
Abla Hasnain, a social criminologist from King Abdulaziz University said the whole issue was due to a lack of awareness.
“We used to think that people susceptible to this sort of thing were ignorant illiterates, but what we're seeing now is educated people and academic people falling victim to this nonsense,” she said.
In Baha events even reached the courts, when a Saudi man accused another of stealing a sewing machine in order to sell it on.
The claimant, however, refused to swear the oath before the court, and Judge Waheed Abdullah Aal Abdul Qadir dismissed the case.
– Ibrahim Alawi, Mohammed Al-Mo'ayyed and Abdul Khaliq Al-Ghamdi also contributed to the report/Okaz/SG __


Clic here to read the story from its source.