TELLING THE TALE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20901, 16 December 1929, Page 6

TELLING THE TALE.

CONFIDENCE TRICKSTERS. The successors Patsy O’Purrell, the notorious Irish confidence trickster, who five years ago defied Scotland Yard’s efforts to arrest him (or swindling-scores of foreign visitors, have fallen ou hard times. The English season, now coming to an end, has been almost unproductive for two reasons. Visitors to Londou are repeatedly warned by the transport companies regarding tricksters of this typo, but the principal that l ire is no Patsy in their ranks, with bis stories of great fortunes loft by dead uncles. Only a really stupid person would succumb to the wiles of the shabby people who now tell the talc of fortunes for dispersal with a hick of enthusiasm and halting tongues (says the Dnily Mail). Scotland Yard knows all the " hotseat ” tricksters. The nickname is derived from the fact that a victim sits waiting, perhaps for hours, with ; gradu ally growing feeling that he has been robbed. Police warnings are seldom effective in saving a victim from the sur.ro set foi him. Often the heads of gren‘ business firms are trapped into schemes for milk ing money quickly on tin- Stock Exchanges. which nl u:-,vs •■•id i i file same way.