People have been warned by the Gardai to be cautious of “bogus callers” who visit homes and offer to perform services for which they are not qualified.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many people hire door-to-door salespeople and repairmen. The public is being cautioned by the Gardai to be on the lookout for bogus callers who might impersonate tradespeople.
Bogus callers do very little work and demand exorbitant fees in exchange for their services. This might constitute criminal behaviour in some situations.
A garda spokesman said: “A reminder to be vigilant of bogus callers and rogue traders calling to your homes, businesses, sports clubs etc. Such callers may offer services such as power washing, gutter cleaning, tarmacking, painting, selling goods etc.
“They may say they have been hired by the county council/ construction company/ business or club owner. We advise people not to engage with such callers.”
Gardai have issued the following advice:
- Don’t open your door to anyone before you are confident that they are known to you or that they have a genuine reason to be there.
- Use a chain lock for added security
- Contact Gardaí immediately should you encounter such a caller
- Try to give as much information to Gardaí as possible, i.e description of person, registration number, direction of travel etc.