SYDNEY CONFIDENCE MEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18292, 8 July 1921, Page 9

SYDNEY CONFIDENCE MEN

WORKING A NEW SYSTEM,

iEbom Oub Own Cobbesponxjbnt.) SYDNEY, June 28. Things have been macro lumy hot of late moiuus m tuo cay lor the great tribe of coiiiKionce mm wno secure a comiortatne •bring among the care.css Australian people, and ooiiii) ol them iiave moved out mio tllo country towns and started a now’ idea, ft was a scheme that, by its nature, was not discovered tor at least a mouth or two, and tiie thieves reaped quite a little harvest bet ore tfle business community “got wise ’ to it. Ihe cash of the country people was imt toiicncd; only their credit was worked on

ihe plan is quite simple. The confidence man arrives unheralded at a prosperous country centre, and puts up at the best notei, lie is “an overworked city business man ’ having a rest. He is a good fellow wherever lie goes, and the townsloik are soon iiis friends—particularly the folk with money. Ihe visitor is concerned only about one tiling: he wants to find out the city firms trom which these townsfolk purchase goods, and how and when they do u. He gathers all possible information under that head. Then he drills on to another town

'ihe confidence man appears in the second town in much the same manner, and collects information in the same way. In the meantime, using the name of one of the residents of the first town, he has written to the city firm with which that resident deals, and has ordered a quantity of goods. He explains that ho is spending a short holiday in the second town, and nskt that they be sent on there; and he duly takes delivery of the parcel. Ihen he moves on •gain, changing his name regularly, and tepeats the performance. The value of tho tfoohs sent in a parcel is seldom less than £SO. One the police are inquiring about now was worth £l6O. Of course, the game ends when the monthly accounts are sent cut, and the city firm and the country resident whose name has been used begin to argue with each other. But the scheme has already been extensively worked, and some city firms have lost hundreds of pounds. Women are prominent in the frauds. ’lhe name of a woman who owns a hotel in Forbes was thus used, and a parcel of clothing worth £IOO was sent away in her name.

ihe police are now hot on the trail. Last week an order was received by a city firm which looked suspicious. A dummy parcel was made up and sent to an address in Katoomba, and two detectives wore close at hand when it was delivered. They arrested a young man.