time. These are given to the forger and
he fills them up for large amounts, after tracing or copying the
signature. The safe burglars receive a percentage on the amount
realized. If your safe vault or desk is broken open, where your
check-book is kept, carefully count the leaves in your check-book,
also your canceled checks. If any are missing, notify the banks, and
begin using a different style of check immediately. The sneak thief,
while plying his trade, often secures unsigned bonds of some
corporation which has put the signed bonds in circulation, leaving the
rest unsigned until the next meeting of the directors.

Frequently unsigned bonds are left in the bank vault for safe keeping.
These are stolen and sent to the penman or "scratcher." Then a genuine
signed bond is purchased, from which the signatures are copied and
then forged. The same trick has been played on unsigned bank notes,
but on the bank notes almost any name will do, as no person looks at
the signature, as long as the note appears genuine.

The ingenuity of a countless army of sharpers is constantly at work in
this country, devising plans to obtain funds dishonestly, without
work, but, in fact, they often expend more time, skill, and labor in
carrying out their nefarious schemes than would serve to earn the sum
they finally secure, by honest labor. Every banker must, therefore, be
on his guard, and should acquaint himself with the most approved means
of detecting and avoiding the most common swindlers. This is just as
necessary as it is to lock his books and cash in his safe before going
home.

Next to the counterfeiter, the forger is the most dangerous criminal
in business life. Transactions involving the largest sums of money are
completed on the faith in the genuineness of a signature. Hence every
effort should be made to acquire the art of detecting an imitation at
a glance. This can be done only by considerable practice. It is
asserted that every signature has character about it which cannot be
perfectly copied, and which can always be detected by an experienced
eye. This is problematical, but certainly a skilful bank teller can
hardly be deceived by the forgery of a name of a well-known depositor.

A banker should accustom himself to scrutinize closely the signatures
of those with whom he deals. He should cut off their names from the
backs of checks and notes, and paste them in alphabetical order in an
autograph book devoted to that purpose