Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-11-13
N, .STER FORGERS'
TRICKS EXPOSED
The perfect Forgery Always
Has a Weak Spot That Leads
to Penman'S Downfall.
NATIONWIDE DRAGNET OUT
Bankers Working Together TO Catch
Crooks Who Cause Losses of $780,
100000 With Bad Checks Yearly

as "the one perfect forgery but final
ly, like all of them, led to its own in
ventor being trapped, is described by
Reuben A. Lewis, Jr., in the American
Bankers Association Journal The
article, which says forgeries cost the
banks and business concerns at least
| $50, 900 900 year, deals with the
ways of forgers and the relentless war
fare being conducted against them by
the bankers.
Crime does not pay" Mr.. Lewis
saws. "Soon the law reaches out and
seizes the misguided operator who
thinks he can get away with it. For
one of the peculiar things about the
forger is that, while he may devise a
clever scheme that brings a rich re-
turn on it's initial trial, he continues
TO, work it until caught.
fortunately, there appears to be
weak spot in the best laid scheme.
And Just as soon as this weak spot is
uncovered, it is broadcast to all the
banks in the land So the banks, In
formed as to the method Of approach
that the forger will make, and the lit
tie peculiarities of the job. are on the
alert to nab him when he makes his
next temperance
The King of Forgers
"The master forger' is William
Hamilton Harkins. probably the most
dangerous operator known to the
banking world. Several times in the
tolls of the law, Harkins has managed
to escape. The daring king of the
forgers made a confession that he had
defrauded banks of more than $780,
600 during the years Of his career.
Ellis scheme follows a certain set
pattern. The key to Harkins' plan
is obtaining blank check from the
checkbook of well known firm. Re-
Gently Harkins sauntered into the Of
flee of a granite dealer He ordered
monument and rendered check for
substantial part of the memorial. He
requested the proprietor of the store
to permit him to dash off letter to
his folks at home. Selling pro-
pitious moment, Harkins spotted his
checkbook, noted the exact balance,
tore out sheaf of checks and disap-
peared.
Reproducing the proprietos's sigma
ture, Harkins drew up sizeable
check. On the reverse side he in
scribed his alias as the payee and
then added after %. X the facsimile
of the depositor's signature. This
acted as an identification Endorsement,
so when he presented the check at the
bank it was readily cashed.
The Weak Spot
"The weak spot in Harkins' scheme
is the Identification Endorsement. :. II
the teller, before cashing any check
bearing this alleged Endorsement, tele-
phoned to the depositor and checked
up on its issuance, the scheme would
have short shrift"
Banks throughout the country have
been put on guard against Harkins
and his plan and it is believed he can
not operate long without again falling
into the net. The scheme that was
pronounced unbeatable was devised
by forger known as F. Mayer and
censered around the certified check
fraud, Mr. Lewis says, continuing:
"F. Mayer would open accounts
with four or five banks in a sizeable
city. The largest account ran around
$4,000. BY kiting checks back and
forth between the several banks, he
would establish his identity with the
tellers and become known as a man
accustomed to deal in large figures.
"After conducting these preliminaI'
les for few weeks, Mayer would go
hn hoI h C 10
account and ask that certified check
be issued to him for substantially all
of the money remaining to his credit.
From the genuine check, he woulG
make four or five duplicates.
I'm turn, Mayer would visit the 9TH
or banks where he had established
small accounts. Inasmuch as he had
cashed checks for some time, Mayer
generally had little trouble in getting
the banks to honor the certified
checks. If a teller took the precaution
of calling the issuing bank on the tele-
phone to inquire if it had made out
such a certified check, he would gain
confirmation.
The Forger Caught
"But even the perfect forgery
scheme cannot be worked with i'm
punity. Mayer succeeded in defraud-
ing Kansas City banks out of $4,000
and made his escape. A few months
| later he was walking down the streets
| of Los Angeles when a teller who had
| honored one of the bogus checks in
the middle western city recognized
him. Mayer took to his heels with
| the former teller in hot pursuit, and
| the criminal lost"
The losses sustained through for.
geries by banks may be mainly at
| tributed to the failure of the tellers to
| observe the rules against cashing
checks for strangers or allowing de-
| positors to draw on uncollscted items
"A relentless, sustained hIut is CON
Quoted to apprehend the forgers. The
| new twists, the variations in the
methods, the latest ruses used are fol
lowed by the detectives. The modes
of operation are broadcasted through
out the country" the article declares.
"The American Bankers Association
| alone, through its Protective Division.
spends more than 100000 year to
check depredations against banks"