The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-06-02
BY PAUL HARRISON
NFA Service Writer

try as never before. With new
schemes and old, petty tricks and
wholesale plundering, they are en-
riching themselves annually by
something like two and a half bill
lion dOllars-more than the total
income of our national govern
ment last year.
Merciless always. the white-col-
lar bandits are particularly vicious
now, for they are capitalizing the
depression, bleeding the last dol
lars from the poverty-stricken and
the unemployed. And, cunningly
resourceful, they arc even taking
advantage of the New Deal, with
its promises of more jobs and ris-
ing markets, to lend credence to
their crooked schemes.
No person is safe from molesta-
ton by swindltrS. And it is an
axiom of the gyp gentry that some
time. and in some way, every per-
son is financially vulnerable. For
instance: Have you subscribed to
a magazine that you never receiv-
ed? Have you bought commodities
of doubtful value because you be-
lieved part of the proceeds would
60 to an accredited charity?
Have you paid a registration
fee TO an agency that promised to
get you job? Have you, as did
millions of others. joined one of
the chain selling schemes? Have
you paid for an investigation" of
property or a patent that you
wished to sell? Have you contrib
uted to the War Heroes Reim-
bursement association, or the
Chorus Girls Rest Farm Founda-
ton, Inc. or any other organiza-
ton you never had heard about?
If you have, it's quite possible
you've been swindlcd. And if
swindled you have plenty of COM
pany. About one in every four
adults in the United States is on
one Sucker list" or another. And
from them the white-collar bandits
take a toll which, equally distrlb-
uted, would amount to approx
mately $50 for every man, woman
and child in the nation.
The poStoffice department, most
potent agency opposing large-scale
fraud operations, because it re-
lentlessly Drosecutes misuse of the
mails investigated 1891 schemes
last year. The national better bust
ness bureau and its 81 local
branches handled more than half
a million COMPLAINTS in the same
time. States attorneys general and
municipal ~olice departments nat
urally probed many other cases.
In New York city alone, arrests of
confidence men in 1882 were al
most triple the number in the pre-
viOus year.
They used to sell the Brooklyn
bridge, and gold bricks and the
like. Well, they still do. Visitors
still purchase toll privileges for
the Brooklyn and all the other
bridges, as we'll as for the vehicu-
lar tunnel to New Jersey. Any
time, now, the Empire state build
ing may me "sold" to gullible
strangers, as was the Woolworth
building in other years. Street
cars still are bought" occasion
ally, and "money-making" ma
chimes frequently. Many take les
sons in Romany arithmetic by
placing their money in bags held
by Gypsy women; only to open the
bags next day and find not even
so much as a thank-you note.
More enterpriSing operators,
however, are selling whatever hap
pens to be in the headlines. For
several weeks gilt-edged shares of
"Technocracy Preferred" were be-
ing snapped up like hotcakes. To-
day, the monetary situation being
what it is, printing presses are
grinding out certificates of stock
in mythical gold and silver mines.
There's an excellent market for
non-exiStent breweries. And some
persuasive incarnation of 0. Hen
rvs fabulous Mr.. Jeff Peters is
reported actually TO be peddling
shares in Rooseyelt'S Brain
Trust"
Victims of such schemes, of
course. are fools who probably
would lose their money eventually
anyway. But look at the more
sinister side of the picture, where
faulty judgment is born of des-
peration.
A typical example of crooked
employment agency was the Bor
man Personnel Service, Inc, of
Philadelphia. 1t offered positions
in an illuSory dry-ice and alcohol
plant. and took cash deposits rang
ing from So to several hundred
dollars from applicants for Com
missions" and for arranging inter-
views with the proposed plants
president" Victims were stalled
along for weeks as no work mate
rialized. One complainant living
in the suburbs of the city walked
a total of $50 miles to and from
the Borman office after he had
paid over all of his savings and
couldn't afford carfare. He didn't
get a job.
Then there are homework
schemes, many of them rackets
that prey on the shut-in. the poor
widow, and the mother who emp
ties her little hoard of dimes anc
quarters to get started in a trade
which she believes will provide a
few extra dollars for her children'S
comfort. Nearly $4,000 womer
from all parts of the country paic
q % onnh 70 the Nile Art ami