Despicable Frauds by Oversea Wreath-Sellers

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 February 1932, Page 2

Despicable Frauds by Oversea Wreath-Sellers

WARNING TO RELATIVES OF WAR HEROES.

WELLINGTON, Last Night,

In view of the complaints made to the Government by New Zealand residents who have been defrauded by certain overseas firms and persons dealing in the making of wreaths for the graves of soldiers located in foreign cemeteries, an official warning has been issued advising those who had received communications from wreath-sellers abroad to be cautious before placing orders with them.

Frauds as bare-faced as they are despicable are reported to have been perpetrated on s'everal New Zealand people by overseas firms and persons who, among other things, deal in these wreaths. The method is to circularise relatives of soldiers buried in cemeteries stating that for a certain sum the firm would place a beautiful wreath on the grave of their son or relative and post a photograph of the grave with the wreath upon it, but immediately the photograph has been taken the wreath is removed to other graves for which similar orders and remittances have been received, and the same process of fraud is gone through over and over again.

In deference to the complaints made to the Government by those defrauded in this way the Minister of Internal Affairs stated that he would advise all people who had received communications from wreath-sellers abroad, to be wary of placing orders. The Minister said that the only certain method of ensuring that the money remitted was actually used for the purposes intended, was to send it to the High Commissioner for New Zealand with a letter giving full particulars of the grave on which it was desired-the wreatn should be placed.