Garda warning over cash scam targeting pensioners

Gardaí have urged the elderly to be extra vigilant about people calling to their door after another Galway pensioner was scammed out of money by a man claiming to be a detective.

In a ruse which has proved lucrative up and down the country, the resident in his eighties in Highfield Park in the city answered the door to a well-dressed man who showed him a Garda badge.

He then told the pensioner that he was checking CCTV in the area while investigating a spate of burglaries and the use of fake bank notes. He asked the man if he kept money in the house and if he could see them to check if they were legitimate.

The resident said he only had money in his wallet and showed him €200 in cash. The “detective” then said he had to check them on a scanner machine he had in his car. With that he left, making off with the money.

Gardaí believe it’s the same conman who is travelling to the homes of the elderly, targeting a pensioner in Corrandulla in early January as well as homes in surrounding counties over the last few months.

“We really need to get the message out there that Gardaí are not calling to homes checking security or fake notes. The Garda ID being used looks legitimate from a distance but they should actually take the badge and get a proper look because it’s obviously a fake,” advised a spokesman for Galway Gardaí.

“If they have any doubt at all they should close the door and call Gardaí. Any officer would not be offended to have a door closed in their face if the person has a legitimate suspicion. Take the car registration number if possible.”

The conman is also believed to pose as a worker for telecoms company Eir and has scammed thousands of euro from people in Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny.

In this scam he claims to have found money outside his victim’s home and asks the  householder to check their wallet to see if they are missing money. He then snatches the cash and makes his getaway.