Scam before potential burglary

katherineconlan

I live in Deansgrange and about three weeks ago, a car parked outside my driveway and two plain-clothed "officers" (at least that's what they said) rang the door and showed a Garda badge. They announced their names and said "Are you Katherine?". They then took my phone number downand went on their way.

I'm not sure what that was about. I've tried contacting Dun Lagohaire and Foxrock Garda station and haven't received a response back. I also made a SAR of my police records and nothing has come back bar a caution for threatening behavior.

My question is if these were real detectives or not. I've asked my friend and he says it could possibly be burglars who are scouting my neighbourhood for empty houses before breaking in. I should note that I recently moved here just before the start of the pandemic.

Atlantic Dawn

What make and model was the car, what county was the reg?

Larbre34

Contact a local TD, they are pretty active on this sort of thing, and they'll quickly get to talk to the local Superintendent about it. The Guards get particularly uppity about people impersonating them so you'll probably get it looked into pretty quickly.

I think your instincts are right though. Real Gardaí would not come to your home without an explanation for their visit.

kravmaga

@OP, usually DDU plain clothes are in a Hyundai i40 with the terrestrial aerial on the roof at rear with a Dublin registration plate.

Did they produce Garda ID warrant card , ie its a leather pouch with the AGS insignia badge and photo inside.?

Why dont you ring the local station and leave a message. They knew your name , sounds realistic.

Everlong1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058222827/scam-before-potential-burglary

This sounds odd to say the least. Why would they ask you to confirm your name and then just leave without giving any explanation of why they were there? Did you not ask them why they wanted to talk to you/what they were doing there/what's this about?

JimmyVik

Someday you will get a call from a some business about something and during the conversation it will come up where you are and, if you are not at home, when you get home, you'll have been robbed :)

katherineconlan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321286#Comment_118321286

Unfortunately I didn't see the reg plate but I definitely remember that it was a black hatchback car.

Is it really that suspicious? In what way are Gardai detectives different from the uniformed officers?

katherineconlan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321370#Comment_118321370

They did say I wasn't in any trouble and asked for my number. They also asked me if anyone lived there and I told them another family member.

listermint

Have you been sending messages, WhatsApp, twitter posts or Facebook messages of a threatening nature to people. Tied back to your phone number....

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322038#Comment_118322038

For me yes, very obvious.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322038#Comment_118322038

I'll tell you what way they aren't different. Both uniformed and plain clothes Gardaí are obliged to deal with people professionally, which includes informing people of the reasons for their visit and why they are asking questions.

katherineconlan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322741#Comment_118322741

And what exactly do detectives do that normal Gardai don't? Do they investigate crimes?

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322975#Comment_118322975

They generally take on cases that are more complex than can be dealt with by uniformed Gardaí whose duties are primarily concerned with being present on the street.

This includes more serious incidents where suspects have yet to be identified, detecting crimes that are linked and patterned, assessing and referring criminal matters on to specialist units, such as fraud or drugs and organised crime.

coylemj

I'm still trying to figure out the title of this thread. If someone wants to 'case' your joint by knocking on the door, there are far less risky options when someone answers the door than claiming to be a cop. All you have to do is say you're collecting for the local Lions or SVP. Impersonating a Garda carries a far higher penalty than operating a bogus charity collection. Why would anyone do it in an environment where there could be CCTV or doorbell cameras to catch them in action and potentially help to identify them?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118365799#Comment_118365799

Or it could be a member of AGS's house.

Maybe OP will post an update.

L1011

The OP is a re-reg troll, so this didn't happen.