The 'Washington Security' Swindle
A California resident discovers that a Seattle firm is a phantom operation.
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.
Chief of Police Rogers has been investigating the 'Washington Security Company' of Seattle, allegedly based in the Burke Building. Andrew Wettstein of Benicia, California, fell prey to the company after an agent convinced him to trade his foreign bonds for 'interest-bearing' ones that never arrived. Upon investigation, the Chief discovered the company was not incorporated, and the office space in the Burke Building had been abandoned by two men who had rented it briefly in March. The suspects appear to be operating a classic confidence game.
“If it is a legitimate concern this publicity will put its officers on guard that a bad impression prevails concerning it.”
Financial scams targeting the vulnerable or unwary remain a constant shadow in Seattle’s growth economy, reminding us that 'security' companies with impressive-sounding names have been a staple of the city's darker business history for over a century.
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