Hopeful Bettors Fall For Old Frand

Chronicle (Levin), 3 July 1948, Page 5

Hopeful Bettors Fall For Old Frand

•■■■■■ . TTAUCKLAND, July 2. Several hopeful racing followers have been victims of an old and simple fraud lately. TJsing the name of either a well-known Waikato racehorse trainer or his son, a man has collected sums of money from people on the understanding that he will invest it on good "tips." He has heen at work in several parts of the North Island and the horses he has named have often proved to be non-existent. The frguds first became known about three months ago when the trainer. receiyeod a' letter from a Napier woman. She said a man using his name had ohtained money from her to invest on a racehorse, and She had not seen him again. The trainer passed the letter on to the Hamilton police. Another letter telling pf a similar. frgud arrived soon afterward from a New Plymouth man and this was fpllowed by a letter in tfle same vein from a Feilding man. Then a Hamilton resident called on the " trainer. The latest report of the man's activitips. camfl tflis afterupop yyhen an Auckland womap telephoned the trainer 's son. She said a nian had cp.me into a Qqeen Street shop where she worked and after discussing ' racing had told her to back a hqrse named Oo.nservation. He persuaded hpr'tq give him '£2 to invest on it. Slie did not hec'difie. suspicious until he had left the * 'sflop. She learned from tfle trainer tfiat there was no horse by tfle name o,f Conservation. The man flad giyen an Auokland address, flnt it wa? found tflat there was np house af that number in the street, The trainer has flad word of five cases of fraufl, and no douht there haye heen others "w :h have not heen reported. In each- case tflP man has used a plausihle story and spent some time in casual conversation before coming to the question of bets. He is believed to be about 40,years of age and d^splays an intimate knoweldge of ' horse racing.