Familiar Confidence Trick is Attempted by Letter

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7270, 25 September 1933, Page 3

Familiar Confidence Trick is Attempted by Letter

JUST AN OLD “SPANISH” CUSTOM TO BEWARE OF The old confidence trick known .as the ‘‘Spanish Prisoner” continues to inspire someone with hopes of obtaining easy money. A. resident of Helensville this week received a copy of the familiar letter, which has turned up. in all parts of the world in tho course of very many years, and has forwarded it to the Auckland Herald. The letter, indifferently spelled and punctuated, is as follows: —

“Dear Sir,— Being imprisoned here by bankruptcy, I beseech you to help mo to raise the sum of 2,700,000 SwiS3 francs I have in Switzerland being necessary to come here to raise the seizure of my luggage paying to the register of the Court the expenses of my trial and recover my portmant.enx containing a secret pocket where I have hidden three checks payable to bearer for that sum.

“.As reward I will give up to you the third part, viz., 000,444 Swiss francs. I cannot receivo your answer .in the prison, but you can forward a cablegram to a person of my confidence who will deliver it me addressed as below. Awaiting your answer to instruct you, all my secret, I only sign....” ■ There follows what purports to be an initial and then a postscript:—“First of all answer by cable, not by letter.” An address in Spain is at the foot of the letter.

There is no doubt that a cablegram, sent as directed would evoke a further request, this time for a definite sum of money. The “prisoner" would doubt- 1 less find many obstacles placed in the way of recovering the portmanteau, and still further requests for money would be made. The recipient of the letter states he believes the ruse is not. well known in New Zealand, and possibly recipients of similar letters may be duped.