Another method which has brought considerable success to the operators of this trick is started by a different approach to the householder. They show him what are said to be extremely valuable hand-made Persian carpets and ask permission fo lay them in his house for a few days. The reason given is that the caller has a purchaser in view and the carpets show to much better advantage in a private house than they would in a stock room. The caller offers {o pay well and usually receives permission to do as he asks. A buyer, previously described as a wealthy connoisseur, is introduced, inspects the carpets and expresses such high opinion of them that for a time the sale appears to be going through. Then, for one reason or another, he changes his mind and @eclines to buy. The owner, pleading unexpected business or private expenses, borrows large sums of money from the householder on the security of the carpets, repeating this on subsequent visits. Ultimately, when he realizes that the householder has lent as much as he will, he disappears and the householder with a collection of attractly ing rubbish.
There have been instances in which an attacked householder, who on being pressed to buy has shown signs of hesitation, is asked to retain the articles on approval for a few days. Before this period has expired the seller, accompanied by another man, calls on him. The third party is introduced as a collector of Oriental rugs who is very anxious to puff chase, for a large sum, one or more of the pieces held by the victim, the seller stressing that the householder has an option to purchase and therefore he must first be given an opportunity to close the deal. As the price offered by the would-be buyer is always far in excess of that at which the householder can buy the articles, he usually completes the purchase without delay. Needless to say the sale to the third party does not mature and the victim is left in undisturbed possession of the rubbish for which he has paid so dearly, The tendency of carpet fraud victims who have paid by cheque to slop payment and defend action: brought against them on the ground: that the cheque was obtained by fraud will do much to lessen this menace. Usually the person who sues is a carpet dealer of not too good a reputation, and whilst he may successfully plead ignorance of this type of fraud on the first occasion he goes into Court he cannot hope to mislead the Judge in his subsequent actions. This being so, he will not accept cheques from the hawkers, but, as their legitimate sales only represent small sums such as the householder would have in his pocket, they will not suffer whilst doing honest business Some wholesalers now refuse to handle any cheque for more than £10 which is brought in by a hawker,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.