“CONFIDENCE” SWINDLE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19368, 27 July 1925, Page 4

“CONFIDENCE” SWINDLE.

AUSTRALIAN LOSES £15,000. BIG VANCOUVER FRAUD. !‘ ‘ TIGE R JACK ’8 ” LATEST COUl'. ■ (Auckland Herald Correspondent.) ! VANCOUVER, July 1. ! Confidence men operating in Vancouver defrauded another victim to the extent of £15,000, according to word received from Australia by the Burns Detective Agency and the Vancouver ! police. The reported victim is Mr. .1. , V. Lord, a prominent business man, of ' Adelaide, who fell into the hands of tlui “confidence” men here four months (ago and has now written, asking the authorities to do something in the 'matter of aiding in the recovery of the money ur to prevent his despoilers from robbing others. So well had the swindlers gained the confidence of their i victim that, after losing £5OOO to them here, he sent them an additional . £lO,OOO from Australia, and it was not 1 until this was lost that he became sus- ! 1 picious and found that he had been . victimised. # , j The story told by Mr. Lord in his. letters to the agency and the police is I similar to that told by others, who I I have been swindled out of large sums. ■ i While globe-trotting, Mr. Lord, his >!wifc and daughter met an affable [ Stranger at Honolulu, who became one |of their party on the voyage to San Francisco. From there the party jourr neved to Vancouver and became guests at'the Hotel Vancouver. The stranger was now looked on as a friend, and acr companied the family on sight-seeing ' tours of Vancouver and district. , STRANGER MEETS A “FRIEND.” Then the stranger met a friend, who ; was introduced as the manager of a large bond house here. The two entered into a “game” to beat the Vau--3 couver Stock Exchange, of which the “friend” was a member. Huge sums were apparently made by the pair, S while Mr. Lord acted as a spectator of ■. their operations. i Eventually Mr. Lord was let in on the scheme and he invested £5OOO. He

was to I>p taken to the exchange, but 1 when with his Honolulu friend he went "■ there they were met outside the place . by the "friend.” He was coatless, as if he had just rushed from the place,' 1 and they were told they could not enter because they were not members. Later the same man tipparently came from the building again and announced that, something had gone wrong and that the 1 investment had been lost. lie did not ' see fit at this time to risk another ven- !' ture, and left for his home. J So groat was the confidence of Mrs. Lord in the integrity of the Honolulu , friend that she induced her husband to venture again, and £lO,OOO was cabled 1 irom Adelaide, but, outside of the fact 1 that the money reached hero, no further word was received by the anxious stock gamblers in Australia. Tentative inquiries led Mr. Lord to believe that he had boon swindled, and this was confirmed by communication with the detective agency. "TIGER JACK’S” GANG. Officials say that Mr. Lord was victimised by a confidence gang under the ' leadership of a man who, through his i ruthlessness in plundering the unsus- : porting, has earned himself the title of "Tiger Jack.” Investigation has shown that ho was here at the time of the alleged swindle and loft for the United States shortly after the £lO,OOO was received from Australia. Tattle ■ hope is held out, say the detectives, of I recovering the money or of convicting I the supposed confidence mon. J "Tiger Jack’s” gang is said to be i composed of men who are capable of , mixing in any company, and who have the ability to hoodwink some of the shrewdest professional and business, i men. The gang is said Io be operating i in the Orient, in Australia, and on the i Pacific Coast, of the United States and i Canada. Tt is asserted that they have i mon eonstantlv travelling on trans-Pa-cific liners, picking up "easy marks.” i whose confidence is fully gained by the : time the scene of the prospective swin- ; die is reache<l.