CONFIDENCE TRICK.

Western Star, 10 April 1934, Page 3

CONFIDENCE TRICK.

KNIGHT LOSES £4,600.

VICTIM OF A NEW DODGE.

Following an acquaintanceship made on board a cross-Channel steamer, an eminent retired Indian Civil servant fell a victim to a new form of confidence trick recently. After being told an alluring story of share deals and rich retnrnß, Sir Albion Banjeri parted with £4,600, which partly crippled him financially. The police were informed, with the result that one of the men concerned in the plot, Harry Harrison, aged 38, a salesman. from Australia, was brought to justice at Old Bailey and sentenced to twenty months’ imprisonment. It appeared from the story unfolded by the prosecuting counsel that Sir Albion was crossing to Ostend when a smartly-dressed man approached him and they entered into conversation. The stranger gave the name of John Stuart, a lawyer from Shanghai, and mentioned a well-known individual Sir Albion happened to know. Later Sir Albion and Stuart met at a London hotel, and Stuart remarked that he had an. uncle in Montreal • who had discovered that certain shares in the Union Consolidated Gold Mining Cpmpany, of Nevada, held by people on the Continent and in England, were down to four or five cents. The uncle' had a scheme for buying the shares, and once bought they could be sold for as much as thirty dollars to a Paris broker.

LOAN OF A NAME. Stuart represented that he was ; authorised by his uncle to pay . British holders up to five dollars a share, and they could make a profit of twenty-five dollars a share. He suggested to Sii Albion that he should come in on :a commission basis ■ and lend his name for the purpose of the transfer of the shares. Stuart was ~to have 40 per cent., Sir Albion 10 per cent., and Stuart’s uncle 50 per cent, of the pro. fits.

Harrison, who gave the name of ‘‘Jarvis M’Pherson,” of Leeds, next arrived on the scene and stated that he was willing to sell 14,C00 of the shares at five dollars each. He asked for spot cash, and at a subsequent meeting at. another hotel Mr Margeson, from Paris, appeared almost as soon as “Mr M’Pherson” had withdrawn. He came prepared to pay thirty dollars a share, and it seemed a fine opportunity for making money. According to the scheme they would make £90,000. It was arranged that the transaction should take place in Brussels, and on September 23 Sir Albion, who had £4,600 with him to pay his share, John Stuart, and , “Mr M’Pherson” met there. Stuart handed “Mr M’Pherson” what appeared to be a bundle of notes and Sir Albion parted with his money. In return “Mr M'Pherson” handed over certificates for 14000 shares. On the back was a transfer fonri made out to' Sir-Albion and signed by “Mr M'Pherson,” who then went off with the money.

NEW TYPE OF FRAUD. Almost immediately afterwards Mr Margeson came in to complete v««s transaction. He picked up the transfer and declared that it was no good' to him, that the certificates would have to be returned to San Francisco. Sir Albion then returned to England, and, apart from a letter, from Stuart, he heard nothing more of the matter. ' John Stuart, counsel stated, was being extradited from Majorca at the instance of the Belgian Government and would be dealt with in Brussels. Margeson had not been traced. Since coming to England from Australia in 1930 Harrison, a detective stated; had been known t-o the police. He had never been convicted, in Britain, but had two minor convictions-in Australia. In 1929 he was charged with conspiracy in Sydney and released on bail, which lie estreated.

“This is a rather new type of fraud which these men are practising now,” remarked the detective. “The usual fraud has been that they invest money on the International Stock Exchange, but this is fresh to us.’’ The Australian convictions were denied on behalf of Harrison.