CONFIDENCE MAN CAUGHT

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 190, 14 May 1928, Page 6

CONFIDENCE MAN CAUGHT

WANGANUI TRADESMAN A

VICTIM

ARREST IN WELLINGTON

Dominion Special Service. Wanganui, May 13. During the week Wanganui was visited by a confidence man. He had an organised plan and with ingenuity and thoroughness succeeded in defrauding at least one local resident.

The nian called into a local land agency early this week and said he minted to buy a house. The land agent asked tiie man how much deposit he would like to put down, and was told that the prospective buyer wanted to pay the full amount in spot cash. Later in the day the agent and the promising-looking individual inspected several houses and in each house the prospective buyer examined various features. Finally a house was agreed upon and the two men returned to the agent's office where an agreement was drawn up and signed. The buyer said he would pay no deposit but would wire to his home town in the South Island for the full amount, and the agent began to grow sceptical. The next movb of the “con” man was to visit a linn of furnishers, with whom he placed a large order. He also arranged' with a local builder to commence certain alterations to the house. A linn of decorators was also instructed to redecorate the house inside and out, but before the various jobs were commenced he shrewdly took into the land agent’s office representatives of the firms who were to do the work for him, and quite casually had a slight alteration made to the agreement. The business men saw the document and were convinced, that the house hail been purchased and that no doubt everything was honest. The first victim was selected perhaps because he had a more sympathetic appearance tliifn the other men. The confidence man told him that at the moment he was short of ready cash and asked him to advance a few notes until he heard from his bank. The money was soon forthcoming, and later when inquiries were made the banking institutions reported that no man of that name had an account with them. The sequel was the arrest of the man in Wellington on Saturday. He will appear in the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court.