In one incident, a man successfully convinced a victim to part with a sum of cash by saying it was counterfeit.
Gardaí in Carbury in Kildare and Portarlington in Laois are investigating two incidents that occurred on the same day where a man called to two homes and attempted to steal money.
In one of the incidents. he was successful in convincing the injured party to part with a sum of cash by stating the money was counterfeit.
The incident in North Kildare occurred at around 11.30am and the other in Laois took place at 1pm on 18 May 2021.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in either location at the time, particularly Derrinturn or Carbury between 11am and 11.30am, and the Emo or Portarlington Road area between 12.30pm and 1pm, to contact them.
Anyone with information is asked to call Gardaí in Leixlip on 01 666 7800 or Gardaí in Portlaoise on 057 867 4100.
Gardaí have warned that anyone can receive visits from bogus callers and that vulnerable people are sometimes targeted by such criminals.
In a statement, a Garda spokesperson said: “Bogus callers will say anything to get into your home or onto your property including producing false identification claiming to be there in an official capacity.”
Examples of statements a bogus caller may make can be seen below.
- “There’s been an accident, can I call an ambulance?”
- “I’ve broken down, can I use your phone?”
- “I’ve had a fall, could I have a glass of water.”
- “I’m from the council, there’s a burst main, I need to turn off your supply.”
Some of these bogus callers may also be offering services such as power washing, painting or selling goods, Gardaí say.
In all cases, people should be wary of letting strangers into their homes and should take precautions.
These include not opening the door to anyone before you have checked who it is and what they want, checking identification, not leaving strangers unattended at your doorstep, ensuring your back door is locked when you answer a call at the front door and keeping gates to yards closed.
The Garda statement reads: “We advise and encourage people not to engage with such callers… They can be intimidating and refuse to take no for an answer. Please pass this advice on to those in our community that may live alone or be susceptible to engaging with strangers.”
More information on identifying and protecting yourself from these types of crime can be found on the Garda website.
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