The Post Office Con-Artist
Authorities warn merchants of a sophisticated swindler operating across Washington by altering post office money orders.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tacoma, Wash. — Postoffice Inspector O. C. Riches, who was in Tacoma, warns the merchants to keep a sharp lookout for a man about 45 years of age, five feet four inches in height, 125 pounds, sallow complexion and dark hair tinged with gray. The man has the appearance of being a business man and he has victimized merchants in a number of cities through raised postoffice orders being last heard from at Walla Walla. His scheme is to go to some small place, purchase an order for 50 cents or $1 and then cleverly raise the sum of the order to $5 or $50. He visits a city during the rush of Saturday night when the postoffice and banks are closed and after making a small purchase tenders the order in payment. As the merchants do their business through the banks it is two or three days before the fraud is discovered. The scheme used in the raising of the postoffice order is a very clever one and the way in which the work is done is still a mystery to the postoffice department.
“He visits a city during the rush of Saturday night when the postoffice and banks are closed and after making a small purchase tenders the order in payment.”
This type of check and money order fraud echoes modern financial scams, reminding us that 'rush hour' vulnerabilities are an enduring feature of the retail landscape.
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