Criminal Trick New to Dominion

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 7

Criminal Trick New to Dominion

Shop-keeper Swindled Out of £5 Note WORKED BY TWO MEN Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. A criminal trick, new to New Zealand, was introduced to Wellington today when a widow, proprietor of a leading confectionary shop in Courtenay Place, w T as swindled out of £5 by two men. Bhe told the story in her own words shortly after the occurrence. “At 3.10 p.m. a young man of good appearance came into my shop,” she said. 4 • He appeared agitated. He said he would be grateful if I would give him change for a£s note. I made sure it was a good one and then handed him live £1 notes in return. He left as suddenly as he came. 44 He was gone only a few seconds when another man, well dressed and about six feet in height, came into the shop. 1 was serving a customer, but he interrupted, saying, ‘Excuse me. I’m Detective Mclvor. Have you just changed a £5 note for a man?' I said I had, and he asked to see it. I handed si over and he held it up ugainst the light. He then said, ‘Yes—it’s a counterfeit. This is the number he is working on.’ He folded the note lengthwise, placed it in a foolscap manila envelope and said, ‘l'll have to take this with me to the detective office to examine it.’ • 4 1 was a little suspicious and said, ‘Oh, no. I’ll hold it here until you return with another detective. He hesitated then and roplied, ‘ Very well. I will leave it here, but you must not open tho envelope.’ 1 took it off him and held it up to the light. There was something inside the shape of a bank note. He then hurried out of the shop. “I was uneasy and followed almost at once, but he was nowhere in sight. I then called a policeman and with his permission opened the envelope left with me. Inside were two pieces of blank paper folded together to correspond to the size of the bank note. I don’t mind losing £5 so much, but it was a mean trick and I would like to have the pleasure of identifying the two men who played n.” The envelope was of a cheap variety of the type used for circulars. The enclosed slips of paper were apparently torn from a pad similar to those to be seen on a hundred office desks. The trick, once the change is obtained, the impersonation put over and t\e possession of the envelope obtained, is worked by the slcight-of-hand substitution of the already prepared envelope with the blank enclosure for the envelope containing the bank note. It is a well-known ruse overseas, but so far New Zealand has been free of it. Detectives are investigating.