CONFIDENCE TRICKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1921, Page 12

CONFIDENCE TRICKS.

ROGUES AND THEIR DUPES. Sydney, Feb. 2. The crime wave shows no, sign of abatement. There have been several more serious shootings in and about Sydney, some amounting to murder. Hand in hand with the disregard for human life, there is a disregard for the rights of property. Theft was never so common or swindlers and rogues so active. Confidence men have been very busy lately, and every’week someone or other is robbed by old and transparent tricks. The most common is that of getting possession of notes, with a promise to return with gold. These tricksters work ■in gangs-on the steamers, and seek persons who are going abroad. Only a few sovereigns are issued to travellers now, so everyone wants gold. The rogues strike up an acquaintance with someone and display a handul of gold. They have got this, they say, by some secret channel, and they can get plenty more. The victim's cupidity is promptly aroused. He is conducted through some streets, asked to wait in a doorway while the obliging one slips ins.ide with the notes —and, of course, he never comes baclj. It is no exaggeration to say that scores of people were tricked in this way during the past year, yet the list keeps on growing.

There are gangs who travel regularly on the trains. They get into a compartment with a likely-looking gentleman. One of the gang will start the three card trick, or something of the kind, and behave as if he were not quite sane, but had plenty of . money. The others will win considerable sums from him, and then th? victim will be invited to participate in the “good thing.” People are such egotists that this method seldom misses.

There are other gangs, who sell things to credulous people who come wandering about with money. They are humorists, these rascals, in a way. Quite often, they have sold country travellers the foot-warmers and water bottles out of trains. A man wandering about at the zoo met an affable stranger, who took him to see the Japanese fish, and sold him one for £5. He went away to get a jar to put it in, and, of course.never came back. A man on a steamer passing through Sydney went ashore with two Sydney men. They took him up George Street, and showed him the huge building known as Queen Victoria Markets. They offered to sell the block to him at a low price, and he accepted, and paid them £l5O deposit. Ono man went inside to get a receipt, and presently the other went to see what had become of him. Neither rturned. The police searched industriously, but fruitlessly.