Brother and sister duped out of €8,000
NOVEMBER 1998
AN elderly brother and sister in Dundalk are duped out of £8,000 by a telephone caller posing as a garda detective.
On receiving a call at their home, the victims make a bank withdrawal and hand money over to the man for sake-keeping.
The senior citizens are influenced by the fact that two handbags had been stolen from the family home in the previous year, and the bogus officer rings them to say the culprits are taken into the custody but there is the prospect their associates could go to their home in search of money.
The brother and sister meet the man at a car-park behind Boyd’s Stores, Clanbrassil Street.
He takes the money, tells them to drive to the garda station where he will meet them, but never shows.
The victims are embarrassed by what an investigating officer describes as a dreadful act.
The culprit, wearing a brown duffle coat at the time, is described as being in his mid-thirties and having a stocky build. Guards are continuing the hunt for him.
A warning is given that people receiving suspicious phone calls should make family and friends aware of the situation or contact gardaí directly.