Householders warned about conmen in countrywide scam

Homeowners are being warned not to get caught out by a scam where conmen are posing as council workers and are trying to gain access to homes. Incidents have been reported throughout the north-east where men are purporting to be council workers and claiming to be checking water or gas. In Meath, incidents have been reported in Trim, Ballivor and Navan in the past week and Gardai are advising people not to answer the door to anybody they don"t know and that, if they are suspicious, to ask for ID or call the local authority or Gardai. The men are wearing high-visibility jackets and often they will try to distract the resident at the front door while an accomplice attempts to get into the house via the back door. On 4th February, an incident at the home of an elderly couple at Summerhill Road, Trim, was reported to Gardai. Two men called to the home purporting to be from the local authority and said they needed to get into the home to look at pipework. While this was happening, one went around to the back door and got into the house and stole a purse. The incident occurred between 3pm and 4pm. The same day, men in high-visibility jackets were seen acting suspiciously in the Ballivor area. They did not call to any houses and left the area when they were confronted by a resident. A spokesperson for Trim Gardai said the men are targeting elderly people and can be very persuasive. Gardai are advising people to always have their back door locked and not to answer the door to strangers. Meanwhile, Trim Town Clerk Brian Murphy said that every council worker has identification and that if members of the public feel unsure about someone, they should ask for ID. They can also contact the council offices to confirm whether the workmen are genuine or not. Mr Murphy said it would be very unusual for workers to ask to gain entry to a home and that the householders would be written to in advance to let them know that a worker would be calling on a particular date, if this was the case. Incidents have also been reported in the Navan area. Navan Gardai confirmed that two men called to a home in St Benildus Villas on 4th February claiming to be checking the householder"s gas. The elderly couple became suspicious and asked the men to leave and they did. A call to Meath County Council confirmed that there were no workers in the area at the time. The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons, is warning householders to be alert to this con. He said he knew of two occasions when these men called to houses in St Benildus Villas and Connolly Avenue. They got away with a purse in one instance and were refused entry to a second house. He said the men were dressed in high-visibility jackets and, in one case, the jacket actually bore the council"s name. He pointed out that all council workers carry official identification. He added that the men were travelling in a dark blue car.