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Show No Magic Wand We like to think that the days of ignorant superstitions have passed but have some doubts when we realize how many people are swindled and cheated each year by fraudulent enterprises. Solicitor Donnelly of the Post Office Department De-partment says: 'It is not ixtravagant to say that a million gullible Americans yearly lose money and property in mail fraud schemes and that more than a billion dollars are so lost. The public snaps up hundreds cf obviously fraudulent schemes in hope cf getting rich quickly and without work. As fast as thz Department issues fraud orders closing the mails to fraudulent concerns and individuals, new persons and organizations spring up to take their places. "Fraud orders are issued daily for hundreds of different 'rackets.' The principal offenders arc those operating medical, oil stock selling, sell-ing, and so-called "work-at-homc-' schemes by mail. Activities of concerns selling worthless oil stock call for numerous investigations by the Department, and issuance of orders closing the mails to many such promoters and concerns. con-cerns. The pernicious trade in nostrums and worthless alleged curative devices continues, and curing the last year a considerable number of promoters and concerns con-cerns operating such schemes were denied use of the mails. "The efforts of the Department in curbing these activities have undoubtedly resulted in savins millions of dollars to the small investor. If, the American public would realize the illegitimacy, o! such enterprises, and refrain from subscribing to fraudulent schemes it would save millions of dollars each year, and greatly simplify the Department's task of enforcing enforc-ing postal laws forbidding that mails be used for fraudulent enterprises." |