Five people have been arrested following an investigation into the impersonation of Gardai by a criminal gang.
Gardai arrested five people this morning in connection to the offence. Four men, two aged in their 30s, one in their 50s and another in his 60s, and one woman, aged in her 50s, are currently detained in five separate Garda stations across the east of Ireland.
The impersonation allegedly involved members of the gang calling to rural homes claiming to be members of An Garda Siochana, on the grounds they were investigating burglaries in the area. Fraudsters then requested to compare sums of cash in their possession against those belonging to the home owner, before seizing the money.
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Gardai have urged the public not to comply with such requests as members of An Garda Siochana will never ask to check cash in this manner. They also reminded the public that Gardai will always have identification on their person when calling to someone's door.
A Garda spokesperson said: "Genuine Gardaí will always provide official details to allow you to confirm their identity with your local Garda Station and will be patient while you choose to so."
The alleged activity has been investigated by a senior officer in 15 counties over the past 10 months. A number of searches are currently being carried out across three separate counties in connection to the scam.
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