Concerns have been raised about scam cancer charity collectors in Enniskillen after police received several reports of a man without identification collecting this week.
A man, believed to be in his 20s, is reported to have been fraudulently collecting for local cancer charity Cancer Connect near the Erneside Shopping Centre on Monday.
People who came across the man say he appeared to be targeting women in the Wellington Road area of the town.
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Local resident Janice Moohan, who has previously raised funds for local cancer charities, said she was one of those who was asked for a donation by the man on Monday.
"He had no ID on him or nothing to say he was related to the charity, all he had was a piece of paper and a polly pocket," Janice told Belfast Live.
"He seemed to be stopping only ladies and I just think it's really horrible. Because of the time of the year people will just throw people money because they're in a rush or whatever.
"I think it's just important to make people aware that this can happen, especially in the lead up to Christmas."
Cancer Connect said it did not want to comment on the reports as the PSNI is conducting an investigation into the incident. However in a post on social media, it thanked the public for their vigilance.
"Thank you all for your vigilance and the speedy alerts today regarding the male collecting money in the name of Cancer Connect on the bridge leading to the Erneside Shopping Centre," the post said.
"This information enabled the PSNI to respond immediately. Thank you."
The PSNI confirmed that a man in his 20s appeared to be fraudulently collecting for charity in the Wellington Road area of Enniskillenon Monday.
Sergeant Laird said: “Observant members of the public realised that the man had no identification and contacted both the charity concerned and police. When the man was alerted to this, he made off prior to police arrival.
“He is described as approximately 5ft 11 in – 6ft tall with medium length dark brown hair and a dark brown beard. He was wearing a blue raincoat and grey tracksuit bottoms and had a southern accent.
“We know that local people are very generous, particularly during the festive season, and would like to remind them that charities always need to be registered and have a license if they’re collecting in a public place.
"If you have any doubt as to whether a collection is genuine, tell the collector you’ll donate directly to the charity yourself and report the matter to police or Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk.
“We would ask that anyone who has any information on the identity of this male, or who may have any other information that could assist with our enquiries, contact police on 101, quoting reference number 935 of 28/11/22."
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