The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-06-29
Average Man Handles Written
Demand for Cash as Though
It Was Not Money.

New York.-The daring effort OF
check manipulators to rig the stock
market, flooding 1t with false buying
orders paid In worthless checks, added
new phase to the endless struggle
against check raiSers and forgers,
which costs the public about S60,000,.
600 annually. In this last effort the
manipulators printed their own
checks and forged signatures of bank
officials in an effort to profit Indirectly
as II result of the acceptance of these
checks by stock brokers.
This phase Is new one, but the
business Of printing and Issuing ap.
parently bona fide checks is old In
fact, 1t Is an industry flourishing in
many parts Of the country, directed by
clever bands Of criminals skilled in the
devious and intricate business of
check raising and forging.
Secret service men, police depart
ments and bankers often warn the pub
lie to be more careful with checks,
both In the writing and handling of
them. In New York alone during 1922
II has been estimated that check rails
Ing and forging cost the public $27,-
100000. more than in any other city.
This estimate was reached on the basis
that out Of each $1,000 In bank clear
ings 81 Is lost through bad checks.
Total bank clearings of the country
In 1922 were 1915, ,6S4, 4,O56O14.
To all but bankers, credit men and
officials throughout the country the
statement of these losses may seem in
credible. But the losses are not a re-
cent development; they have been
mounting at an estimated rate of in
crease of $1,0O0,000 n year. The three
main factors responsible are the highly
organized activities Of forger gangs,
the extent Of check transactions, and
failure to observe proper precautions.
Although the term forgery is applied
to all forms Of check frauds, the actual
imitation of signatures on negotiable
paper Is not so generally practiced as
the alteration of checks. genuine
signature on check is valuable, and
the crook prefers wherever possible to
retain 1t. Raising checks calls for
more skill, as the many protective de-
Sices now used are obstacles to be
overcome. In the beginning OF check
raising 1t was not difficult to aflix
hundred to the written word three
making a check read "three hundred"
or to add ''y'' to the word eight" max
Ing It "elghty." And 1t was no more
difficult to change the figures.
The development OF protective de.
vices called for high order of me-
chanlcal, scientific and artistic &C.
complishments. The men engaged In
this department Of check frauds are
known as "scratchers." To them falls
the work OF altering a genuine check
Realizing on their handiwork Is nj
part OF their allotted duties. Thi,
function falls to the -presenters' OF
''putters down." one of the three othel
departments into which the bands ar,
divided. The captains" and middle
men" complete the organization.
How They Get Checks.
1t is the duty of the captains TO OBJ
tHlu lHt raw lOI tue
ers." A method much In use Is {,
make n small purchase for cash at
large retail establishment and to re
turn It on some pretext day or S,
later with the request that the pur
chase money be returned. This re
fund usually is made by check, whlcl
is then turned over to the "scratcher
TO be raised. Another method of oh
taining checks is TO rifle letters stolel
from mail boxes In the corridors o
loft and apartment buildings.
-The "middleman" is liaison man be
tween the various members, keepinI
them from getting acquainted witt
each other, and distributing the spoil
among them. Largely upon the efil
cie7t performance Of his work depend
the safety of members. He keeps then
from personal acquaintance and th'
chances of conviction through con
fession are reduced should asy mem
Der be arrested