Vigilance urged after scams reported

The public are being urged to be vigilant following a number of scams carried out in the county over the past week.

Garda Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Joe Downey issued the warning and appealed to neighbours to look in on the vulnerable and the elderly, after three types of scams occurred since Friday.
The first occurred at Ennistymon at approximately 1.30pm on Friday when two men arrived at the house of an elderly man and told him they were there to do the gutters.
“They demanded money up front, which he gave and said they would be back the following day. They returned and proceeded to take down the guttering. Shortly after commencing the work they demanded more money, which they again received. Before they finished, they demanded more money and said they would be back to complete the job but they never returned,” Sergeant Downey outlined.
He advised the public not to give out cash up front to anyone who calls under unusual circumstances, without first establishing they are genuine. “Our advice would be to use legitimate businesses and, where possible, businesses that have a landline. Because what can happen is someone comes to tarmac your drive and you’re not 100% happy with it when it’s done and you’ve a mobile that rings out or is never turned on,” Sergeant Downey said.
He also issued an appeal to witnesses in this incident, who may have seen the two men in the area last Friday. The men are believed to be in their 20s, of average height and slim build. One of the men has black hair and the other had curly hair and they were seen using a white van with a 2006 registration. Ennistymon gardaí are investigating the incident and they can be contacted at 065 7072180.
Meanwhile, a further scam that occurred last Sunday involved another set of bogus callers, who sought access to an elderly person’s property purporting to be working on the house next door.
“Last Sunday at around 3.15pm, a man called to a house in Ennis and convinced the elderly occupant to let him in so that he could gain access to the rear of her house on the pretext that he was working on the house next door. While both the occupant and this man were out the back, a second man came in and stole a sum of money,” Sergeant Downey explained.
He advised in this scenario not to ever let someone whom you don’t know into the house, without looking for credentials of some kind.
“These people were conned. These were con men, who came along with a normally plausible pretext and there is nothing unusual about the look of them. Another thing to be wary of is the power that a yellow jacket can have. If someone is wearing a yellow jacket and comes to your door about works that need to be done in the back, taken at face value that person would be taken for a council employee. The same could be said for someone in an ESB jacket or the likes. Any of these jackets could be stolen and unless you see credentials or identification, do not give anyone you don’t know access to your home or belongings,” the garda stressed.
In this last case, gardaí in Ennis are looking for information from the public and have issued a description of one of the men involved as being between 40 and 50 years of age and of thin build. He was wearing navy trousers and wore a dark coloured jacket.
“These con men were playing on the vulnerable in these cases. I would be advising people to keep an eye on neighbours, especially those who are vulnerable or living alone. It is unusual for these types of scams to be carried out in a town such as Ennis, where there are plenty of people about but I would ask people to be vigilant in light of these incidents,” Sergeant Downey urged.
Another unusual scam to have raised its head in the last week is referred to by Sergeant Downey as the Street Shopper Scam.
“This involved an advertisement in national and local newspapers. The culprits entice you to contact them by email to become a secret shopper on behalf of their company. They emphasise that it involves no risk or expense on your behalf. They then target Western Union offices and use the pretext that there is something unlawful going on in these offices and that they have been hired to expose it. They send you a cheque and request that you lodge it in your account and keep a commission. They then request that you forward the balance to them within 24 hours through a Western Union office to another Western Union office where they are waiting to collect the money. Their cheque takes two weeks to clear and you then discover that the cheque you lodged is a forgery and your money has been lost,” he explained.
The advice in the latter case, according to the sergeant, is “never send your own money. It may seem like common sense but it happens.”
Other scams that continue to operate, according to the crime prevention officer, include those where the internet is being used and these can prove very difficult to solve. He explained that emails or letters received telling you that you have won the Spanish lottery should be regarded in light of the phrase, “if you’re not in, you can’t win”. “If you didn’t buy a ticket then how can you possibly win, simple as that,” he said.