July 1999 Topics
Boodle, Boost-and-Chop Scam,
Clip Joint, Despachante, Exaction,
Impotence Profiteers, Kala 'apuka,
Pulling the Wool Over His Eyes,
and Teeing In
 

In the U.S., 500,000 cars are stolen each year and exported to other countries through boost-and-chop scams.
 

Boodle
A bribe is a boodle, a slang term since the nineteenth century. A boodler is a person who gives or receives a bribe, especially to fix elections.
William and Mary Moran, Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, Harper & Row, New York, 1962, p. 43.
 

Boost-and-Chop Scam
Each year 1.5 million popular model cars are boosted (stolen) in the United States. About 200,000 stolen cars are exported to be resold on the black market of car-starved locations in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Asia. Another 300,000 cars are driven to salvage shops where most of the parts are chopped off (stripped). The parts, which usually do not have vehicle identification numbers, are sold overseas. The hulks of the stripped cars are dumped in remote areas and subsequently declared total losses by the insurance companies. The states destroy the vehicle titles. Later the scammers cheaply purchase the hulks through auctions, and easily ship them overseas to be rebuilt and resold.
Nancy Bartley, “Chop Shops Growing Trend,” Seattle Times, Arizona Republic, February 14, 1999, p. A19.
Photo: http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/inside/
auto_theft.html
 

Clip Joint
A public place of entertainment that makes a practice of overcharging or cheating customers. Until modern times, operators of shady pubs and dance halls accepted nothing except hard money - gold or silver. Coins made of soft metal were easily shaved or clipped. A shrewd waiter, bartender, or cashier could accumulate enough clippings to turn them in for a handful of newly-minted pieces. Countermeasures like adding milled edges to coins, and increasing the amount of printed currency in circulation, threatened to put clip joints out of business.
Webb Garrison, Why You Say It, MJF Books, New York, 1992, p. 141.
 

Despachante
A Portuguese term for a personal dispatcher, expediter, buyer, or runner. No official document is obtained in Brazil without waiting in long lines. A despachante knows the city clerks, the courthouse crowd, the politicians, and the customs agents. He knows the system and how to grease it to get things done. The job requires a quick tongue, patience, and a lot of brass. For a small fee, a despachante will obtain permits and passports or do your voting, banking, and mailing - the list has no end. No bureaucratic obstacle is too intimidating. A "despachante de aduana" will assist you with imports, exports, and transportation involving customs houses. Some of the services of an honest despachante may seem fraudulent by U. S. standards, but acceptable by Brazilian standards. The services of an unscrupulous despachante may seem fraudulent even by Brazilian standards.
John Grisham, The Testament, Doubleday, New York, 1999, p. 308.
 

Exaction
The act of compelling a payment or a reward for services, under the guise of official authority, when no payment is actually due.
Jay Robert Nash, Dictionary of Crime, Paragon House, New York, 1992, p. 119.
 

Impotence Profiteers
Companies that sell ineffective potions with Viagra-sounding names like “Väegra” or “Celldenaphil” which is similar to sildenafil citrate, the generic name of Viagra. Frequently the companies are merely mail drops, however they use scientific-sounding names like the “American Urological Clinic.” Potential victims include men over 40 who choose out of embarrassment to buy questionable products by direct mail or through the Internet, instead of seeking treatment by a reputable physician. The Federal Trade Commission says one company bilked 150,000 victims out of $19 million.
Peggy Eastman, “New Players in an Old Flimflam,” AARP Bulletin, January 1999, p. 6.
 

Kala ‘apuka
Hawaiian phrase for money gained through fraud or embezzlement.
Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, Hawaiian-English Dictionary, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1965, p. 27.
 

Pulling the Wool Over His Eyes
Tilting a man’s wig over his eyes, so he is unable to see what is going on. Often the intent is to deceive or hoodwink the man. Wool is a popular term for hair, especially very curly hair. The phrase also alludes to the slippage of a powdered wig worn by a British judge, who is temporarily blinded by a clever lawyer.
Christine Ammer, Have a Nice Day - No Problem!, Penguin Books, New York, 1993, p. 290.
Image: Spy, "His Honour Judge Bacon", Vanity Fair, 11/04/1897, http://www.antiquemapsandprints.com/ .
 

Teeing In
Intercepting a telecommunications line to make use of services which are lawfully provided to other paying subscribers. The wiring connection is T-shaped. The fraudsters connect wires to existing private or public telephone lines to make free calls. Also they tap into cable lines to obtain free television programming. Decoding equipment may be attached to intercept encrypted television broadcasts.
P. N. Grabowsky and Russell G. Smith, Crime in the Digital Age, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1998, p. 67 and 81.
 

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

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