POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20433, 13 June 1928, Page 15

POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

A DARING SCHEME, ARREST IN SYDNEY. (From Ouk Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, June 1. Daring and extensive post office 'frauds involving £BOOO, which have baffled the post office officials for two years, have been checked with the arrest in Sydney of two men who, it is said, had incriminating evidence in their possession. Though the frauds bad been detected from time to time the officials and the detectives were unable to make much headway with their investigations until a fortnight ago. It was discovered then that a man had attempted to bribe a telegraph messenger at the Sydney Dost Office to secure for him a bundle of official envelopes. The police secured a description of the man and located him after a few days’ search. Then they visited a house in one of the suburbs, and arrested a second man, whom the police declare, had in his possession a number of official envelopes, original and duplicate money order forms, and other postal matter. The police allege that the two men would choose some small suburban post office, preferably a part time office, and one of them would enter and buy a money order. At the same time he watched and noticed where the postmaster kept the book and the official stamp. An hour or two afterwards the two men would enter the post office, and while one engaged the postmaster in conversation, the other would manage to secure the money order book and stamp and leave the office. While outside this man would make out a number of original and duplicate money order forms, stamp them, taking care to leave enough forms in the money order issuing book to allay any suspicion. They would visit the post office again a hour afterwards, and the book and the stamp would be replaced. In many cases the book would not be used again by the postmaster for two or three days on end, by which time the men had, it is alleged, filled in original forms payable to themselves in some other State. The duplicate forms, as used by the postal authorities, would also be filled In and, in the official envelope, would be sent to the paying office. It is the practice to pay out on money orders up to £2O without identification, and evidently this fact was known to the two men, who invariably made the amount out for £l9 and a few odd shillings. These daring methods have been practiced in four States at least, and the amount of the frauds is estimated at £BOOO. '