Rural Wexford residents are being warned of a new scam that aims to swindle thousands of euro from locals.
A Councillor in the Rosslare district was last night alerted by an elderly resident, when men entered his property and demanded money for works to be carried out.
Councillor Jim Codd is urging people to be vigilant and to look out for their elderly and vulnerable neighbours in light of the new tactics being implemented by scammers.
He outlined the details of the scam when speaking to South East Radio News:
“I was contacted last night by a frightened, elderly man. A group of people came into his yard and climbed up on his roof. They claimed that he had asked them a year previously to power hose and paint the shed. This is something he didn’t do. When he argued against their claims, the men demanded €2,800 there and then. If not they threatened that they would be back.”
Mr. Codd went on to call out these actions as “intimidation and bullying of elderly and vulnerable people”.
The Gardai have been informed of the situation and members of the rural community are being asked to keep an eye on the elderly and to alert the Gardai of any suspicious activity. Councillor Codd said that communities need to keep on top of this and put a stop to it.
“What was also very frightening in this case is that when the door was open, this group of people actually entered the mans home and had a look around. They had to be asked a number of times to leave. I would ask people to be vigilant and report any suspicions to the Gardai. There is no reason for people that have worked hard all their lives to live in fear of this thuggery.”
