January 2000 Topics
Conspiracy of Silence, Mens Rea, Phony, Roorback, Roumanian Box Trick,
Sling, Sling Back, Subscription Fraud,
Wine Scam, and Zero In
 

A phony letter almost prevented
a candidate from becoming
President of the United States.
 

Fraud In Other Words: Professional Jargon and Uncensored Street Slang
By Larry C. Adams, CFE, CPA, CIA, CISA
 

Conspiracy of Silence
An agreement, either tacit or explicit, to disclose nothing about an individual or a situation. The phrase nearly always refers to disclosing something unfavorable, or even criminal. For example, physicians often have been accused of protecting an incompetent member of their profession by keeping quiet.
Christine Ammer, Have a Nice Day - No Problem!, Plume, New York, 1993, p. 69.
 

Mens Rea (Mens Reae)
Latin for guilty mind or defendant’s mind. The criminal state of mind or intent that accompanies a crime. Laws require prosecution lawyers to demonstrate mens rea on the part of the accused. They require proof that the accused intended to commit the crime. The requisite state of mind varies depending on the particular crime.
Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases, Oxford University Press, New York, 1997, p. 257.
 

Phony (Phoney)
Not genuine. Counterfeit. A fake. A faker. The original Irish word was fáinne. In England it became fawney, and phony in America. Fawney rig was an Irish name for finger ring. It became the name of a confidence game in which a brass ring was sold as a gold ring. Another favorite ruse of Irish sharpers was to put a ring with an imitation stone in a public place. Sooner or later someone would come along and pick up the ring. Appearing from nowhere, the con artist persuaded or frightened his victim into paying him to keep quiet about the find. Making off with the hush money, the swindler would leave the sucker holding a fawney that seemed valuable but was actually worthless. So many persons were defrauded that anything fake came to be called fawney.
Webb Garrison, Why You Say It, MJF Books, New York, 1992, p. 149.
 

Roorback (Roorbach)
A false report issued to cause intentional damage. A corporate or political dirty trick. A forgery presented to the public. A falsehood introduced so late in a political campaign that refutation is difficult. During the election for U.S. President in 1844, a letter from “an Abolitionist” to a small newspaper was reprinted across the United States. The letter purported to be a trustworthy, objective excerpt from Roorback’s Tour Through the Western and Southern States in 1836. According to this journal, Baron von Roorback of Germany witnessed that 43 slaves had been purchased in Tennessee for James K. Polk and branded with JKP on their shoulders. Despite the scurrilous charges, Polk narrowly defeated Henry Clay. An investigation revealed the baron and the journal did not exist. The perpetrator of the letter was an author and attorney in Ithaca, New York.
Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1991, p. 401-402.
 

Roumanian Box Trick
(Rumanian Box Trick)
A swindle in which an innocent person loses money by inserting it into a changing machine that will not return the bills or change. Police used this phrase in the 1920s, but the scam still occurs using modern change machines, vending machines, and private ATMs.
Jay Robert Nash, Dictionary of Crime, Paragon House, New York, 1992, p. 318.
 

Sling (Sling Back)
An Australian term used since the 1940s meaning to pay a bribe.
John Ayto, Oxford Dictionary of Slang, Oxford University Press, New York, 1998, p. 194.
 

Subscription Fraud
A malicious scheme of revenge in which the perpetrator forges other persons’ names on subscription cards for magazines, newspapers, and collections of books. In Painesville, Ohio, a woman was jailed for signing the names of her enemies on subscription cards. Her landlord, a neighbor, and a job counselor consequently received magazines and invoices for 350 orders.
Woman Jailed for Subscription Fraud, Associated Press, AOL News, October 8, 1999.
 

Wine Scam
Low quality wine is falsely labeled to indicate it is worth more. Anti-fraud officials in Rome foiled a plan to pass off six million liters of wine produced in southern Italy with labels showing the origin as Tuscany in north central Italy - an area which produces higher quality wine. Each year only 20% of the wine produced is officially labeled as denominazione d’origine controllata, which is a guarantee of geographical origin awarded only to high quality wine.
Italy Fraud Squad Swoop on Low-quality Wine Scam, Reuters, September 21, 1999.
 

Zero In
To narrow the scope of an investigation. To aim at or concentrate on a specific person, business, or thing. To single out a person. This phrase from the 1940s was used by marksmen demanding accuracy. The sight of a rifle was zeroed or adjusted so the fired round hits the exact point a marksman aimed at. The shooter needed no correction to aim at the center of the target.
Robert L. Chapman, American Slang, Second Edition, Harper Collins, New York, 1998, p. 561.
 

Larry C. Adams, CFE, CPA, CIA, CISA, is the author of Fraud in Other Words - 1999 Edition. He is a common sense business consultant in Phoenix, Arizona.
 

ã Copyright 1999 Larry C. Adams.
All rights reserved.
 

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