CONFIDENCE TRICKSTERS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1930, Page 16

CONFIDENCE TRICKSTERS

DARING GANG DISPERSED. ELABORATE OFFICE SYSTEM. Scotland Yard detectives have succeeded in breaking up one of the most daring and dangerous gangs of confidence tricksters and share-pushers that, have ever existed in Britain or any other country. The gang’s headquarters were in a quiet, discreet office in a building- in Lower Regent Street, London,

Important information which assisted | Scotland Yard in discovering this office came to the Daily Express in the form of an anonymous from Belgium. This letter was eent to Scotland Yard and handed to a detective superintendent, whose duty it is to deal with any sensational confidence trick work in London. Four men —two Americans, one Englishman, and one Frenchman —conducted the Regent Street office. They were known to other tenants in the building as quiet and reserved men who gave and . received a friendly word of recognition!" ' ' r ' ■ Thdit, habits were irreproachable. No

beers, spirits or wines were allowed on the premises. Early morning coffee, light luncheons with mineral waters and tea and biscuits were sent up from the restaurant below. Soon after six the place was shut up for the day. The men were apparently carrying on quite a legitimate business with a staff of typists and office messengers. When the police made Inquiries, all these men were found to have had previous convictions. They were the four best confidence tricksters now operating on the eastern side of tho Atlantic. Their office was being used as a kind of board room where all the men and women who gain .information - which. -.’is .useful;; to

confidence tricKsrers euumitrea icpuxva. An elaborate system of files was kept in the office with newspaper cuttings relating to all recent confidence trick exploits and also a card index of possible confidence trick victims who were likely to be in London during the ensuing three months. There was nothing at the office which would enable the police to make a charge against any of the office directors. As a result of the police inquiries, however, th two Americans and tho Frenchman have left England “for tho good of their health,” and the Englishman has-been warned that any future activities wll’-'-bo carefully watehe<L- ;