Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-23
THE DUPEy DIRECTORY.
VALUABLE LISTS WHICH ENABLE
SWlNDlERS TO CATCH VICTIMS.

| How tho City Directories are Compiled
| and Used to Flood the MaiIs-Explana-
ton Of snide Advertisements and
Swindlins Circulars.
1t has often puzzled people to understand
how the petty swindiers Of our great cities
succeed In flooding the country with their
| circulars, and in almost every instance get
| ting their propositions to people who, if they
| do not become dupes, at least read or con-
slider them. Judging by the number of let
tiers sent to the New York postoffce authori-
| ties every day by people who have received
| propositions to buy counterfeit money or to
engage in other nefarious schemes, several
! thousand swindling circulars must leave New
York every evening for different parts of the
| country. And the question naturally comes
| up: How do these swindlers get hold of the
names q several thousand persons every day?
| The answer is that this collection of names
and the distribution and sale of lists of names
| OF possible dupes is systematized business
| which has been carried On for years by special
lists, and probably affords very handsome
income to score of sharperS whose sole stock
in trade is that they control whole books full
| of names and addresses.
Of course in a large city like New York
there are plenty of legitimate calls for lists
of persons VINO may be interested in buying
this or that article, and several well known
publications are devoted to the compilation
of such lists. Some business men want only
rich people, because their wares are costly;
others want only poor people, because they
offer schemes for the saving of pennies Each
trade has its special lists. One man has q list
Of all the doctors in the country, another of
all the dentists, another will sell list con-
tanning every milliner, etc, ETC. Each trade
journal is supposed to possess list of all the
business houses throughout the country in its
special line. The compilation of such lists
calls for nothing more than ordinary indus
try and business intelligence, and yet when
done such list may be absolutely indispen-
sable to business house wishing to put a
certain article before the country. The best
known ways Of preparing such lists are very
simple. One list of all the doctors Of the
United States, which was shown the writer,
had been compiled from the medical direc-
tories OF every state and county and from
the city directories in each large town. For
all practical purposes it is a perfectly relia-
bic list of some 10000 medical men, The
methods in other businesses are similar.
In the business Of compiling lists for
swindlers there is an entire change in the
methods used, and a popularity which will
be noted at once by inquirers is tnat dupes'
directory, as such list may be termed, is
composed preferably of persons in difficulties
When man wishes to sell soap to grocers or
householders, or diamonds to rich people, he
wishes every name on the list of people to
whom he will send circulars to represent a
;ol,
With the compiler of dupes' directory it is
entirely different. Experience has taught
the swindler who uses the mail for a counter
felt scheme, OF, in technical phrase, "green
goods" enterprise, that it is well to address
people in sore need of money. The man in
good circumstances will not be likely
to consider favorably a proposition to
ruin his reputation for the gain of a
few dollars. So that one method of COM
piling lists of persons who may be ex-
pected to send $40 in order to get 500 of
counterfeit money has been to note down the
name of every business man or farmer who
has mortgage or Judgment entered against
him in the county registers Office. The
small farmer struggling against mortgage
may listen to the tempter. In another branch
of the swindling business by mail, not con-
lists are supposed to contain only the names
of persons Of very moderate means, because
they alone would be likely to buy cheap
jewelty, fifty cent diamond rings, silver
plated spoons at 81 a dozen, etc. For the
purpose Of getting at such people, the tax
lists are gone over and all the rich people
weeded out.
Besides the actual copying off of lists Of
in, tbo
ings of every small town on the tax list or
real estate records, a common method en-
ployed by dealers in such lists is to send out
circulars couched as follows:
'DEAR SIR-We are engaged in the mann
facture and sale of one of the best stoves
ever made in this country. 1t is patent
device, whereby novel arrangement of
draughts enables you to save 80 per cent of
the amount of coal used in other stoves; the
CRATE is also patent one, which enables you
to save % per cent of the coal, so that within
a year the stove will pay for itself. We feel
that this stove will be a blessing to the COM
munty and that it is charity to introduce
it. We therefore wish to make you the fol-
lowing offer: If you will send us the names
and addresses of go persons living in your
town we will send you valuable engraving
worth at least So, and if OR circulars to the
persons whose names you send result in the
sale of more than five stoves we will send
you one stove gratis"
No one but those in the business have any
idea of the number Of persons who go to
work and write out the $50 names and send
them on, never to hear any more of the Won
derful stove or its manufacturers. But, if
they were to inquire carefully, they would
discover that some of the persons whose
names they have given were invited sooner
or later to buy counterfeit money or fifty
cent diamond rings This method Of obtain
ing names has been going on for years, and
some of the rascals who thrive upon it are
bold enough to advertise in the country pa
pers that they will send their engravings in
return for names A gentleman who has had
considerable experience In ferreting out
swindlers who use the mails said that the
whole stock in trade OF many Of these
swindling concerns consists In their lists Of
names; therefore, they are willing to pay
well for list which is known to be reliable.
The average price to swindlers who offer to
sell counterfeit money Is said to be fifty
cents for every 100 names, and it is agreed
that the lists must be returned in good order
after having been once used, so that some
new kind Of game may be tried upon the IN
fortunates whose names are upon it When
the swindler wants TO try new game he has
to buy his list from the regular dealer and
pay his fifty cents 100.
Whenever scheme is broken up by the
authorities en- attempt ia made to seize the
list of dupes, and invariably the attempt Is
foiled Evidently the experts in this kind
Of business know the money value Of such
Isis. which are guarded with the utmost