New-York tribune., 1903-04-05
PROBING BIG SWINDLES
UNEMPLOYED ROBBED.
Licenses of SzCindling Intelligence
Offices To Be ReUoked.

nesses by which thousands of poor. and fire.
quently ignorant. people looking for places
swindled Of their money are being in
vestgated by the Bureau Of Licenses. The vic
tins have promises OF employment and are sent
wandering from address to another after
being charged from So to $50 for places.
Finally. they get no employment or receive a
temporary and undesira bic job weekly wage
less than that usually paid. Many licenses OK
these agencies are to be revoked in a short time.
So widespread has this ''bunco game become
that James .. Merriman. deputy chief OF the
Bureau OF Licenses. estimates the number OF
people who victimized by the game at more
than thousand week.
Evidence In the OF one Of these agencies.
a so-called Intelligence Office" shows that
since January 161 people have paid fees rang
ing from 81 to So. the total payments exceeding
$3.50. and that the majority of these applicants.
il not the entire number, have never received
place or had their money refunded Small as this
sum Is even in the aggregate. IL is the few dol
lars OF nearly hundred poor people who
were made the victims Of fraud.
The employment agency "bunco' game is
played in various ways. The commOnest method.
the one which is usually exposed at the Bureau
of Licenses a dozen more times every week,
is follows: a person out Of employment in
many cases a newly landed foreigner. sees the
sign of employment Office. and. lured by the
brilliant promises OF persuaded by the barker
''puller-in'' at the door, goes in and explains
that he is looking for work He is instantly
informed that place just adapted to his
needs is vacant and that his arrival almost
miraculously timed He then pays the fee re-
quired. usually from 81 to 50 instances are
known of fees as high $50 being exacted).
This ceremony over. he asks to be sent 10 the
place so blandly offered him. He is then told
that he would better call the next day, some
pretext being furnished to explain that il is
inadvisabe go to the place at once The
next day he calls again and gets another ex-
cuse. In this way he is put off for week. The
next week when he becomes insstent. he is
sent to office where a large number OF
hired daily. the Metropolitan Street
Railway or the New-York Telephone Company.
If he gets a job there, by some chance, the
agency is well rid of him. If he still persists in
asking for place he is either thrown out
bodily or the policy of railroading him from one
office to another is continued until the man
gives up the pursuit in despair In most cases
he pleads for his money, but he never gets il
back from these dealers who are in the "buncO''
game although the law provides that he shall
receive his money back If he does not get
place.
THE TRAVELLING COMPANION GAME.
But the foregoing is only the most elementary
of the methods of the intelligence swindle.-
Here is an elaboration: An advertisement OF
this character is put in a newspaper:
TRAVELLING COMPANION going to Europe $50.
Then follows description of the job The
space limits of "ad-" are taxed TO narrats
the splendors Of the position. Here is the story
of a man named Hacker who answered such
an advertisement: Going the address named
adv artiS he
ployrnent office. The agent explained to him
that he must pay So. and then he would he sent
to the wealthy gentleman who wanted COM
panion Hacker paid his So Being foreigner.
and unacquainted with the methods Of these
houses he then innocentIy requested that ne be
sent to his future employer
IT'S not etiquette TO call on wealthy gen.
tIeman here in America he informed
You must wait until the wealthy gentleman
writes you letter"
Hacker waited; no letter came He went back
to the agency. Come in two days" he was
told He came in two days. Come again on
Monday he was counseIled- When he arrived
on Monday he found the office closed and big
crowd outside They, too had been told to
''come on Monday" SO great was the crowd
that the police were called in and. on investi-
CATION the proprietor arrested. held in
81 OOJ BAIL and Will be tried in Special Sessions
Tuesday.
But there is another phase TO this "buncO'
game 1t not only drcgs the money out Of the
poor but IL also Swindies the more prosper
GUS James D. Merriman, deputy chief of the
Bureau of Licenses. gave an illustration Of the
reflex actiC of the swindle.
THE other side of the game" said he yester-
day. lis worked on the pc pie who want SER
wants Ny Investigations have convinced
that there exist intelligence offices which do this
sort OF thing: Suppose want servant i go
there and pay the 81 and get a girl. She comes
to my house. stays a week, mana 7es to break
enough crockery or do ethinS else that makes
her undesirable and J have to dismiss her
That is the purpose for which the employment
bureau keeps her. There are number OF such
places. where the women are kept TO play this
game and they do it we'll The servants are in
the graft and the unfortunate man who wants
a servant may be bIed many two-dOIIar bills be-
fore he realizes the game"
PROMISE. $40: AMOUNT RECEIVED. s..
The following instance Investigated By
the Bureau of Licenses. man who applied
for a place was assured that there was one
waiting which paid $40 month He paid -
on the recommendation of the agent and then
met with the usual delay. At last after many
futile visits. he was put TO work washing dishes
in hotel at SO a week. On the assurance that
this was temporary, and that better place
was coming. The agents assurance that the
dishwashing temporary proved genuine: the
applicant was turned out at the end OF week.
having earned the So he paid for the job.
Needless TO say. he did not get his fee back.
Some idea OF the immenSity of this intelli-
garce office business may oe gathered from the
fact that there are over four hundred and hfty
Of tber1 I'm this city Licensed by the Bureau
Of Licenses and Obliged TO pay a fee of So. the