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Elderly warned to be aware of bogus callers

Monday, 24 March 2008

Bogus callers posing as council workers have been preying on elderly residents in the South Central constituency, Southside People can reveal.
A recent spate of scams in which people posing as officials from the council have robbed the homes of senior citizens has led to calls for vigilance by local authorities.
A man posing as a Dublin City Council worker gained entry to a home in Crumlin recently by pretending to be examining water pressure. He even offered to allow the resident to speak to his supervisor on the phone.
The man then left the door ajar allowing two accomplices to run up the stairs and ransack the home while looking for valuables.
In a similar incident, a woman posing as a social worker and carrying what appeared to be an identification badge duped a pensioner out of personal details including her bank account number.
Local Sinn Fein representatives Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and Cllr Críona Ní Dhálaigh have called for elderly people to be more vigilant and issued a leaflet to houses in affected areas explaining how to deal with suspect callers.
The leaflet urges people not to open the door if they are unsure of who is calling and advises telling the caller to come back when there is somebody else in the house.
Cllr Ní Dhálaigh said she was unsure if the four incidents she is aware of are related but said she would raise the matter with the joint policing committee.
“It seems to be only the elderly they are targeting with this scam, they are the most vulnerable,” Cllr Ní Dhálaigh said.
“Sinn Fein has put a notice around asking people to be vigilant. If there is any doubt about somebody don’t let them in.”
It is understood that many cases may have gone unreported as elderly people feel embarrassed that they were tricked.
All residents in affected areas in Crumlin and Ballyfermot are being encouraged to check in on elderly neighbours and report any suspicious activity.

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