Galway Gardai have warned people to beware of intruders posing as gardai after an elderly man in the Briarhill area was conned into handing over a large sum of money to two men last week. The 80-year-old man, with an address in Breanloughan, Briarhill on the Monivea Road, opened his door to two men posing as plain-clothes gardai at 7.30pm on Sunday 3 January.

The men claimed to be investigating tax arrears and the man allowed them into his house. The men proceeded to rummage around the house. After a 20-minute ordeal, the man paid over €500 to the pair who fled the scene. The man informed some family members who then contacted the gardai.

A spokesperson for the Galway gardaí urged people to check all forms of identification before opening their door to anyone - even if they are uniformed.

"We would urge everyone to seek identification before allowing anyone into their premises. If they claim to be gardai, call us in Mill Street for confirmation that they are on garda business before opening the door.

"Neighbours and family friends are asked to be vigilant in this regard and remind the elderly and those living alone of the dangers that these people pose," the spokesman said.

Further advice on bogus traders or callers is available on the Garda website - www.garda.ie - or by contacting Mill Street gardaí at 091-538000.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment