Unsatisfactory Business Transactions
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5202500108 |
| Date | 01 January 1952 |
| Author | James Mitchell |
| Published date | 01 January 1952 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
UNSATISFACTORY
BUSINESS
TRANSACTIONS
33
F.R.M.S., Identification Bureau, City of Glasgow Police, for his
interest.
References :
Cherrill, F. R.: Finger Prints and Palm Prints, etc., pp. 14-19, H.M.S.O.,
194°·
Hastings, Sir Patrick: Cases in Court, 1949, p. 272, Heinemann,
London.
Soderman, H. and O'Connell, J.
J.:
Modern Criminal Investigation,
1938, pp. 101-104, G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., London, also, ibid. 1947,
pp.IOI-104, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York and London.
Unsatisfactory Business Transactions
By
DETECTIVE-SERGEANT
JAMES
MITCHELL
Metropolitan
and
City Police Company
Fraud
Department,
New
Scotland
Yard
THE title "Unsatisfactory Business Transactions" is the one
usually allotted to files containing a miscellaneous collection of
complaints about commercial matters. These range from isolated letters
about genuine firms, through allegations respecting traders of dubious
honesty, to accusations against concerns which clearly are fraudulent.
As a rule, the first and last types of enquiry present no great
difficulty. Lcall on the genuine firm will quickly show that the cause
of the trouble is a letter or consignment of goods that has gone astray.
The
case of obviously fraudulent persons, such as those who have never
had goods at all and who abscond with money sent by customers,
will resolve itself into the ordinary routine case of fraud.
It
is the ' in-between' cases which present the problems.
In
the
majority of these the complainant has had dealings with a person,
firm or limited company, which, in his opinion, have proved unsatis-
factory. Usually, in response to an advertisement in a newspaper or a
circular, he has sent money for. goods and has been disappointed with
the result. These matters are usually investigated in consequence of
one of the dissatisfied buyers invoking the aid of Police in an endeavour
to have things adjusted to his liking. Invariably he wants to get the
goods or his money back.
Such transactions fall into two main
groups:
(I) Those where goods are supplied and the buyer considers them
to be inferior. .
(2) Those in which the complainant has received neither the goods
nor the return of his money.
The
latter category can be divided into two main classes :
(a) Cases in which enquiry shows that goods have been supplied
satisfactorily to customers and has later ceased.
E
To continue reading
Request your trial