Clever Swindlers

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 71, 15 June 1927, Page 1

Clever Swindlers

CHEQUES OF NO VALUE STOREKEEPERS LAMENTING (Special to THE SUN.') CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. Several tradespeople in Sydenham are feeling rather jll-used and sorry for themselves for the reason that they have parted with their hard cash and goods, their only returns being cheques which they have ascertained to be valueless and a heap of experience. They have been swindled in a manner ingenious. One instance occurred (in the case of a grocer) of an exceptionally clever trap. Two men entered the shop. One, who appeared to be of the labouring type, went to one end of the counter and made a small cash purchase. The other was a well-dressed stranger. He made some purchasers at the far end of the counter and tentered in payment a cheque for £5, on which was the signature * Owen Moore.” The assistant, not being entitled to take cheques in such circumstances, referred the cheque to the proprietor, mentioning the name of the alleged drawer. The labouring man then entered into the affair> “ ‘Owen Moore,’ did you say?” he remarked. “I wish I had his money. 1 used to work for him.” The statement removed any doubts. The cheque was cashed and substantial change given. Events have shown that the name alleged as the drawer of the cheque is not known to the bank. YARNED TO POLICEMAN In another instance, a man approached and chatted half-an-hour with the storekeeper. He said he was short of cash, but had a cheque for £ 5 signed by his employer “Owen Moore.” He asked if the storekeeper would advance £2 to enable him to go to the city. As security he would leave the cheque and call back for the balance of the change. He sviggested that if the storekeeper doubted the cheque he could ring up the man whose signature was purported to be thereon. The storekeeper did not attempt to do this. There is no “Owen Moore” on the telephone list as it turns out, but he left to see if he could verify the cheque elsewhere. The stranger waited for him and while thus engaged chatted with a policeman on the footpath. When the storekeeper returned, he paid the stranger £2, although he had been unable to verify the cheque. He is still waiting for the stranger to return, and has the cheque, on which the bank has inscribed “no account.” Neither he nor the police have been able to discover any “Owen Moore.”