Fraudsters target local homeowners

MEMBERS of the public have been warned of bogus
collectors going door-to-door attempting to pocket the

?¬100 household charge.

Opportunistic fraudsters posing as council officials
have been knocking on doors in North Dublin targeting elderly householders.

The scam emerged after reports that council staff
could be asked to call to households where payments are outstanding.

Fingal County Council issued a warning to householders
and stressed that no staff of any council was engaged in any such payment
collection methods.

“It has come to our attention that there are bogus
collectors calling to householders in North County Dublin collecting household
charge money,

? a spokesperson stated.

“Please note that no official in Fingal County Council
has been assigned to collect the household charge on a door-to-door basis.

“In any case all our council officials carry
identification and they usually travel in an official council vehicle.

“We would always recommend that members of the public
request to see their identification and if they are unsure they can double
check with the council by calling 01-8905000.

?

This isn’t the first time that scammers have purported
to be council officials. Thieves have previously gained access to the homes of
unsuspecting residents by pretending to be from the council’s water and housing
service.

Northside councillor Steve Wren (Lab) advised
residents not to tolerate anyone going from door-to-door to collect money.

“The sooner people notify the gardai if they suspect
anything, the less likely they are to continue knocking on houses.

“These people are mainly targeting the elderly and
taking advantage of people’s uncertainty about how they can pay for the
household charge.

“For every 20 doors they knock on, if they get just
one person to hand over

?¬100 then it’ll be worth it for them.

?

The gardai also urged members of the public to seek
identification from door-to-door callers and to contact them if concerned about
the authenticity of such people.

Householders were warned to be extra vigilant
particularly as the deadline for paying the
household charge has now passed.

Meanwhile, children’s charity Barnardos have also
issued a warning about bogus fundraisers believed to be collecting in a number
of areas including Castleknock and Coolmine.

The con artists have been calling to residential areas
claiming they are collecting money on behalf of Barnardos or looking for
sponsorship for a run.

“If a member of the public is unsure as to whether the
fundraiser is legitimate, Barnardos would advise that they ask for
identification and a letter of authentication which is provided by Barnardos to
genuine fundraisers,

? a spokesperson for the charity said.

Barnardos is encouraging anyone suspicious or
uncomfortable of a caller at their door to contact 1850-222300 where their
legitimate fundraising team holds a list of active fundraisers who have
registered with them.

Legitimate Barnardos fundraisers carry a letter of
authentication and on-street bucket collectors should have a Garda permit.

Computer owners have also been warned to be on the
alert for scammers pretending to offer paid hi-tech support over the phone.

Makers of NOD32 Antivirus and Smart Security products
ESET say fake phone support scammers are using recognisable brand names to make
themselves sound credible.

“Recently we were alerted to phone scams in the UK and
Ireland with scammers pretending to be from ESET and offering paid technical
support,

? a company spokesperson said.

“The scammers will take the victim’s credit card
details then pretend to be fixing some security problem that doesn’t even
exist. The whole procedure is a scam and people should by no means fall for it.

“All ESET tech support is and always will be free.
Should anyone receive such a fake call, tell the scammers you’ll call them
back, then call and check with ESET Ireland at the legitimate phone number
053-9146600.

?