New Britain herald., 1930-02-06
FORGERY FASTEST
 INCREASING CRIME
50 RotarianS Are Told by Secur-
 fly Executive Today

If q stranger offers you a check, look it over carefully; if it is cashiers check, look it over two or three times; if it is q certified check, look if over five or 10 times"
 With the foregoing advice, Dr. Benjamin r. Battin of New York, vice president of the National Se- curity Co.,, told members of the Ro- tary club at luncheon at the Bur ritt hotel today that forgery is America's fastest growing crime.
 Dr. Battin's address was on the subject: 'Fighting Financial Fraud. : He opened his address by stating that surety is guarantee of hon. esty.' Less than one per cent Of employees under bond turn out to be embczzlcrs and of those who do. only one out of every 200 gets away with il, the speaker asserted.
 The largest embczzlcment case in history was the one which occurred in Flint, Mich. q short time ago when q bank was swindled out of $500, 000, according to the speaker
 He warned his hearers against the dangers of personal surety. pointing cut, the cmbcZzlCr is always q trusted man." Losses in forgery, 'mbezzloment and fraud run into hundreds of millions of dollars each year, Dr. Battin stated.
 While part of Amcrica's crime bill is being cut down by the increasing tendency to use checks for payrolls. his situation has given an added i'm pctus to the crime of forgery accord ing to the speaker.
 Contrary to what Dr. Eattn said is the general belief, only two and q half per cent of the forged checks arc those that have been altered aft CT having been written previously The other 97 1-2 per cent have been made out by the torger from blank checks stolen or obtained under mis- representation from the individual.
 Certified Checks Not Safe
 He scoffcd at the alleged safety Of certified check by stating that q man was arrested in New York state a few weeks ago who had d suitcase containing hundreds of rub bcr clamps of certification of banks all the way from Albany to Erie.
 tIc tOlI of q case of a man who claimed q diamond ring worth $150 had been stolen from him. At diff fcrcnt times seven different inSur- ancc companies paid for the loss Of this ring. The eighth company check . "d up on him and the game was over.
 One of the greatest frauds is the advertising of merchandise which is not as it should be. the speaker con linucd. He said the federal trade commission and the Associated td- vcrtsnG Clubs Of the World with their slogan. Truth in AdVcrlisinG," " have gone q long way toward stamp inc out this evil.
 He quoted former District .AttOr- nvy Banton Of New York to the ct- feet that six or seven hundred mil lion dollars a year are received from residents Of Manhattan alone for miSrcprcScntcd merchandise. Git in9 as an illustration he old of 3 bracelet sold for $4G.J0 as q platl- mum bracelet. There wasn't 13 cents worth Of platinum in it, after it was onaIyzcd. he added.
 The National Association of Credit Men has sent $50 persons to fed = "ral prisons because of (radulcnt Bankruptcies, the speaker continued. lie toldhis hearers that the cost ot crime in the United states each year is twice the total amount of the national budget.
 President George II. Dyson. com- mcnting afterwards, said that even in New Britain people are being de- trauded by merchandise which Is lnisreprcsentcd to them.
 Steve Robb was authorized to canvass the club to see how many members would patronizc the Lions trolic on the opening night, Fcbru airy l9.