SWINDLED OUT OF A FORTUNE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1920, Page 10

SWINDLED OUT OF A FORTUNE

SERVANT GIRL'S AMAZING HOAX. HOW WEALTH IS OBTAINED BY FRAUD. Reference to the hoax perpetrated on a Farnborougli gentleman on whose wedding day an announcement of his "death" was inserted in a local paper by a wag, led a correspondent of the Weekly Record to probe into the records of some of the more serious forms of hoaxing which have been exposed from time to time. As a rule money has been the chief motive for these frauds, and wonderful indeed is the ingenuity revealed in the accounts of the various known cases.

Easily the greatest hoax of the present age originated in Paris—the notorious Humbert-Crawford Will Swindle, which involved a sum of nearly four million sterling. It occurred only a few years ago, and neither before nor since has there been a case in which even onefourth of the amount was fradulently obtained by one person. Nevertheless Madame Humbert is by no means the first person to borrow large amounts of money upon non-exis-tent securities. Quite recently a London engineer succeeded in getting awfty vrttli over £50.000, all borrowert upon four houses, which were worth together less than a tenth of that amount. His scheme was as follows:

The properties this engineer acquired were in Hertfordshire. Now Hertfordshire was not a registered county, and consequently the registration of mortgages was "not practised. The swindler began by insuring his house against fire in some forty different offices. Then he wont to various firms of solicitors in the city and began to raise money nn mortgages, using the insurance policies as guarantees. On each house he raised about a dozen mortgages, and so contrived to swindle the solicitors fn question out of the amount mentioned

The suspicions of one of the fire insurance companies involved were raised, and in consequence a warrant was issued for the arrest of the swindler. When the detective-officer called, the engineer received him, most affably, explained that he was just engaging a new cook, and asked the gentleman to take a seat in the drawing-room, where he would join him in a moment. The

officer stepped into the room, ''nap went the key in the lock, and long before the detective could break out the swindler had disappeared. Again; but a brief while since, the Bankers' Association unearthed a colossal fraud. When articles are delivered at the docks, warrants are granted by the dock authorities acknowledging their receipt and describing the goods. As it is mt always convenient for to be removed or unpacked at roe time, it had been the custom of many banks to lend money upon the dock warrants.

Here was a splendid chance for the scheming Bwindler! A sort Of swindling company was formed. Its members chartered a ship, and delivered at the London docks a quantity of minerals, corn, and jute, including some tons of concentrated gold ore. Quite unsuspecting, the authorities granted warrants, according to the descriptions of the cases. Armed with these, the shippers made a round of the banks and borrowed several thousand pounds. Elated with their success, they-tried again, and eventually succeeded ha obtaining nearly a quarter of a million of money. But one day one of the cases marked "concentrated gold ore" %as accidentally smofehed, and out poured a stream of common sea-sand. So the great hoax came to an end, but not until it had lasted for nearly four years.

Another woman who rivalled the famous Madame Humbert in ingenuity and impudence was Jane Hammond, who, a short time ago, erftered the service of two elderly and well-to-do sifters named Bertram. She succeeded in gaining their confidence completely, and then one day told them an amazing story of a rich relative of theirs who had recently died in Trinidad, leaving them nearly a million and a-half of money. Hammond then proceeded to obtain from her mistresses a number of blank signatures, "in order that she might correspond with the Trinidad authorities." Using these, she drew small sums of money from the bank account of the old ladies; and .then, growing bolder, persuaded them that there was a plot afoot to lock them up as lunatics by people tt'ho wished to obtain the Trinidao" rortune. She worked upon their feelings until, half-mad with fear, the two secluded themselves in an out-of-the-way village in France. There the woman left them on some excuse, and hurried to London. When, a few days later, the elder Miss Bertram wished' to draw some money, her bankers informed hor that of her fortune of £31,000 there remained tenpence!