BUSINESS MEN DEFRAUDED.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1925, Page 5

BUSINESS MEN DEFRAUDED.

WANTED CRIMINAL AT WORK. CUNNING SCHEME AT ELTHAM. At 1 p.m. on Wednesday last, a man walked into the Hawera branch of the Bank of New South Wales and handed over a cheque signed by a Carterton man and said he wished to open an account. He was a farmer and was starting in the Hawera district. The account was opened and the man was presented with a cheque book. One hour later he was in Eltham. He called Coronation Hotel and saw Mr. S. Dunbar. He intimated that he wished to book at the hotel for a week. “I’ll pay now,” he said; “I suppose you will take a cheque.” The tariff was £3 3s, and the man handed over a cheque for £l2 3s. Mr. Dunbar gave him £9 change. To the H.B. the man made his way and after purchasing clothing to the value of albout £2 handed the salesman a cheque for £ll 2s. He received the change in cash. The salesman was suspicious, and the Eltham branch of the bank communicated with Hawera, where the bank informed them that an account had been opened by the man. The “farmer” got well clear of the district. When the cheque was returned from Carterton it was proved te be a fraud. The other cheques were valueless. The man is said to be a well-known criminal and is already wanted by the police on charges of issuing valueless cheques in Carterton. He had planned a scheme in Eltham with cunning, and it succeeded. The police are investigating—Argus.