FRAUDULENT SCHEMES by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Aug 16, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 33.

FRAUDULENT SCHEMES.

By Editor

THEY are everywhere, and nowhere more glaring than in the advertising columns of some of the great papers. Many of these are found out, many are not until thousands are swindled. We are told that the post-office inspectors of Uncle Sam unearth, on an average year in and year out, one a day of these fraudulent advertisers. A writer in Printer's Ink gives us samples of these fraudulent advertisements, among which are "The Work at Home Scheme," "The Letter-writing Dodge," "The Matrimonial Lure," "The Ring Game," "The Automobile Swindle." Here are some of the advertisements:

Home work, $9.00 to $15.00, no canvassing; $5.00 to $6.00 weekly, working evenings; experience unnecessary. Enclose stamps for instructions, sample, etc. Address, — — —

Ladies: earn $20 per hundred writing short letters. Stamped envelope for particulars. Gem Mfg. Co.,

In answer to the first of these, the writer is told she must purchase an outfit, it may be to do gilt painting of store cards, at $1.10. The $1.10 is sent; a little bottle of gilt paint, a brush, and a few cards, with instruction, worth about ten cents, are received. The agent is told she can get $2.50 per hundred for these cards. Work is sent in, but the answer is that the work is unsatisfactory, and that is all there is to it. The would-be money earner pays $1.10 for a ten-cent bottle of bronze paint and a brush, and lots of experience. There are others after the same fashion.

The letter-writing fraud offers twenty cents a letter, but after your dollar has been sent, you are told that you are to write these letters and send them out, and that for every person to whom they are sent who purchases some humbug advertised, you will receive twenty cents.

The matrimonial "ad" runs thusly:

A refined American girl, attractive, well educated, and very wealthy, would like kind, honest husband. No objection to poor man. Address May, — —.

A middle-aged bachelor in comfortable circumstances would like cheerful, home-loving wife. No objection to poor woman. Address Walter, — —.

But those who answer these "ads" will have to pay from three to five dollars to get an introduction, and that is the last of it.

The ring fraud, through which you can purchase a ring worth perhaps ten cents or less, is as follows:

DEAR MADAM: In going over the repair department of a large jewelry concern which we have just purchased, we find a number of rings, watches, etc., of whose ownership we are uncertain. One ring bears your name, hence we infer it belongs to you. If such is the case, please send us 85 cents for repair and refinishing charges, together with fourteen cents to pay cost of sending by registered mail, and we will send the ring to you at once.

Here is another one which also takes hold of the cowardly dishonest:

MONEY—F. A. M. $2.00 bill sent to any address for 25 cents; will give $25.00 to any one who can detect it.

Send your quarter and you may get as follows:

KIND FRIEND: The name of the $2.00 bill comes from eight twenty-five cent receipts, which I enclose—total bill of receipts $2.00.

Here is the automobile fraud:

DEAR SIR: I am about to put on the market a new breakfast food and want a good name for it. I am told that the great Uneeda was a layman's idea, and in the hope of unearthing another such I offer to a few the following: Suggest a good name for the food, one with advertising possibilities. If I decide to use your idea I will give you as payment a Winton Automobile, your only expense to be the freight to your home. Answer at once, as I shall use the first good name received.

Here is a sample reply:

DEAR SIR: I have decided to use your idea of U-Auto-Eat [or whatever the name suggested happened to be] it fits all "ad" plans. The auto is yours. I will ship it to you on receipt of the freight ($20.00). Excuse brevity, but I am rushed to death.

What is the lesson?—It is that every questionable, quick-rich scheme should be shunned as dishonest and fraudulent. The multiplication of so many artifices and devices of this sort demonstrate the truth of the scripture: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."