Evening star., 1944-01-30
By Joseph II. Baird.

ing the preceding IL months on the
richest institution in the world-the
United States Treasury. That viii be
nearly twice the number drawn in 1943
and record for volume In American
financial history.
Millions Of these checks are being
received by people who never before
have handled one of Uncle Sans
vouchers. They-and the merchants
and banks that cash them-know that
these light blue safety paper checks are
as good as gold"
But what they may not know Is that
this flood of paper wealth into the
United States mails have opened new
and lucrative field Of operation for the
Nations crooks. A new class of sharp
ers-"mail-box thieves"-are preying
upon the families of Government en-
ployes and servicemen. And merchants
throughout the Nation who have not
been cautious enough in determining
the identity Of those for whom they
cash Treasury checks, are finding to
their sorrow and financial loss that
these imposing vouchers are good as
gold" only if Endorsed by the person
to whom they are rightfully issued.
Secret Service in New Role.
All of which has imposed new job
upon the United States Secret Service,
which is supplementing its Sherlock
Holmes role with that Of an educator
and guardian.
In large Office on the first floor OF
the Treasury Department sits a middle
aged, stockily-built man whose orders
and policies radiate out to 81 field
Offices through the United States where
highly trained operatives work to pro-
tect the public from counterfeiters and
check artists. His name is Frank j..
Wilson. and he heads that much
glamourized but actually little-known
organization, the United States Secret
Service
MIR. Wilson is giving much thought
these days to the problem OF protecting
the new millions of Government check
receivers, as well as the country's busi-
nessmen, from loss through fraud. He
sums up his formula for protection OF
the latter in terse phrase:
"Know Your Indorsers."
That slogan is going out today to the
American public in many forms. 1t Is
being printed on millions OF checks,
both governmental and private. 1t is
being taught through booklets in $4,000
high schools and colleges. And its les
son, in graphic form, soon will be in
corporated into moving picture, Know
Your Money" which the Secret Service
has used effectively to cut down losses
from counterfeiting from $1,000,000 to
$4,000 per year.
Before telling this writer recently OF
the Governments new check problem
and what the Secret Service is doing to
solve it, Chief Wilson expounded his
ideas on the educational role his Office
is playing.
Before the Crime.
'It's our conviction" he said, that
the prevention of crime Is far more
effective than the investigation Of it.
For prevention precludes the creation
of criminals and saves their victims.
Investigation after the crime involves
both the criminal and the victim in
tragic consequences. For the criminal
there is the penitentiary. For the VIC
tim there is loss of money, embarrass-
ment and the disgust with self for hav-
ing been played for a sucker.
"I feel that it is the duty Of the
Secret Service to protect the public
from being made suckers. And we
haven't done our full duty unless we
use every possible method to prevent
citizens from being victimized
"Of course, our role as detectives Is
much more melodramatic. When an
agent makes big haul, it often means
a lot of favorable publicity for the
Secret Service. But we have an equally
important duty to perform in educating
the public for its own protection"
Meat for Mail.Box Thieves.
In Chief Wilson's files are thousands
OF documents showing both the i'm
mensity of the current check problem
and the methods used by crooks to
mulct the rightful payee on Govern
ment checks.
During the current fiscal year, 1t is
estimated, the Army will send out,
mostly by mail, 6,5OO,00o dependency
benefit checks each month. The Navy
will issue approximately 100000. The
Newark Office of Dependency Benefits
is paying out s2,25o, 100000 yearly. Most
of these vouchers will go to the mothers,
fathers, wives and children of American
soldiers and sailors, few of whom ever
have received Government checks be-
fore.
Each one of these millions of checks
is meat" for the "mail-box thief" a
new type of crook spawned by the war.
These operatives, knowing that de-
pendency checks are mailed out on a
hard -and-fast schedule, which results
in their being delivered on the same
day each month, pry open the mail
boxes of known relatives of servicemen,
steal the vouchers, as well as other
mail which might be useful in providing
Identification, and cash the checks In
the stores of unsuspecting merchants.
The cashing of such checks Is easier
than one might think. And the guilt
bility shown by businessmen who honor
them is amazing.
Here are a few cases from the files
of the Secret Service:
Gang Rounded Up.