Apparent door to door Facebook warning by the Gardai

BeardyFunzo · 03-09-2012 10:14AM #1

A message was posted to my workplace's email list warning parents to be on the lookout for a certain name (a girl), as this person was a suspected paedophile. It whiffed of spam to me so I inquired further and the sender informed me that 2 Gardai had called to the house and talked to the lady of the house.
Has anyone else had heard about the Gardai going door to door to warn parents to be on the lookout for a certain name appearing in their children's friend list?

Could this be some elaborate scam to get access to people's computers? Or is someone trying to prank this girl? or is it legit?

Ponster · 03-09-2012 10:20AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

Could this be some elaborate scam...

I hope so. The very thought of the police going door to door to warn parents about certain Facebook 'friends' is repulsive.

Temptamperu · 03-09-2012 10:22AM

I cant smell anything and I can smell a scam for three towns over.

Daisy M · 03-09-2012 10:23AM

It doesn't make sense, surely the first port of call would be facebook security team to have this user banned and IP address traced?

SunnyDub1 · 03-09-2012 10:24AM

Gardai using their time to knock from door to door pffffft..

AS IF

I'll belive it when I see it :rolleyes:

mathie · 03-09-2012 10:26AM

Knock, Knock.
Who's there?
The Gardai.
The Gardai who?
Just the Gardai.

BeardyFunzo · 03-09-2012 10:29AM

Ponster wrote: »

I hope so. The very thought of the police going door to door to warn parents about certain Facebook 'friends' is repulsive.

This is more or less what i initially thought... not exactly an efficient use of resources.

BeardyFunzo · 03-09-2012 10:32AM

Daisy M wrote: »

It doesn't make sense, surely the first port of call would be facebook security team to have this user banned and IP address traced?

Exactly. there are far smarter ways of handling this than going door to door.

Temped to contact the person who sent the mail and let them know of my suspicions.

CreepingDeath · 03-09-2012 10:33AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

Could this be some elaborate scam to get access to people's computers? Or is someone trying to prank this girl? or is it legit?

Sounds legit to me.
Maybe the guards, or some other foreign police force have been tracking the online activities of sex offenders and saw that they were trying to befriend minors on Facebook, posing as girls.

I'd hope that it violates their parole terms and they're thrown back in jail for it.

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

Exactly. there are far smarter ways of handling this than going door to door.

I doubt it was a door-to-door canvassing to make people aware, I'd say the parents had to be informed because their children
were directly contacted/friend requested or the like.

Fizman · 03-09-2012 10:41AM

Did I read that correctly? A woman is thought to be a paedophile?

Every little boys dream.

bijapos · 03-09-2012 10:45AM

Fizman wrote: »

Did I read that correctly? A woman is thought to be a paedophile?

Every little boys dream.

FFS, this isn't a laughing matter, child abuse is child abuse, it doesn't matter who is the perpetrator. :mad:

kylith · 03-09-2012 10:56AM

My first thought is that this sounds like a malicious campaign against this woman.

CreepingDeath · 03-09-2012 10:58AM

Fizman wrote: »

Did I read that correctly? A woman is thought to be a paedophile?

I assumed that it was a man posing as a girl on Facebook.

MarkR · 03-09-2012 11:10AM

bijapos wrote: »

FFS, this isn't a laughing matter, child abuse is child abuse, it doesn't matter who is the perpetrator. :mad:

I'm afraid it is the eight of modern humour. In AH.

syklops · 03-09-2012 11:20AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

This is more or less what i initially thought... not exactly an efficient use of resources.

If you assume they are warning everybody in the area going door to door, then yes. I took it to mean they warned this specific woman. She mis-understood the warning and being civicly responsible put a notice up in work about it.

Actually now I am confused.

...It whiffed of spam to me so I inquired further and the sender informed me that 2 Gardai had called to the house and talked to the lady of the house.

So the sender of the email, and the lady of the house are 2 different people? So the sender of the email didnt speak to the Gardai?

Yeah I will go back to my original thought that the Gardai were warning this particular woman(the lady of the house).

IM0 · 03-09-2012 11:27AM

this is what the guards think facebook is, what hope do you think there is of this being true knowing this

Some Yoke · 03-09-2012 11:30AM

I'm not sure if the Gardai doing this is "repulsive". Taking precautions to protect kids from suspected paedophilic activity.. Responsible is the word I'd choose. Fairly basic and fundamental really.

Boombastic · 03-09-2012 11:32AM

The guards should have left a comment on her wall.

Plazaman · 03-09-2012 11:33AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

A message was posted to my workplace's email list warning parents to be on the lookout for a certain name (a girl), as this person was a suspected paedophile. It whiffed of spam to me so I inquired further and the sender informed me that 2 Gardai had called to the house and talked to the lady of the house.
Has anyone else had heard about the Gardai going door to door to warn parents to be on the lookout for a certain name appearing in their children's friend list?

Could this be some elaborate scam to get access to people's computers? Or is someone trying to prank this girl? or is it legit?

Sounds suspect to me. I would put more time and effort into tracking the originator of the email as it sounds like an effort to slander someone.

First and foremost, if the person is a convicted paedophile, there are already procedures in place for the Gardai to know his/her whereabouts at all times. If this person isn't convicted, then the time of the originator of the email would be best spent sending evidence to the Guards rather than mailing other people.

Don't think the Gardai would go house to house to tell parents to check their childrens friends list on Facebook to see if a name was on it oh and by the way can you check it regularly from here on in just in case it does appear? Having said that, Facebook's age limit to join is 13 so if a child under this age has an account, the parents should be all over it anyway.

syklops · 03-09-2012 11:34AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

Could this be some elaborate scam to get access to people's computers?

There is much easier ways to get access to someones computer than dressing up as two Gardai and going door to door.

stmol32 · 03-09-2012 11:41AM

Same email was sent to all staff today in my work from a man who works here.

In the email he says the gardai contacted him and his wife about a suspect trying to friend his child.

Dravokivich · 03-09-2012 11:42AM

BeardyFunzo wrote: »

...as this person was a suspected paedophile...

hmmm, sounds a little too much like gossiping to me. If guards were looking for someone that is highly likely to be a paedophile, aren't they usually quiet unless there's been activity in the area? Otherwise they'll just scare'em off to somewhere else when they hear they are being looked for.

stmol32 · 03-09-2012 11:42AM

syklops wrote: »

There is much easier ways to get access to someones computer than dressing up as two Gardai and going door to door.

It'd be like getting the reservoir dogs together to snatch a handbag.

dr strangelove · 03-09-2012 11:42AM

Sounds like the suspected paedophile is being harassed.

When the Guards called round were they talking to the suspected paedophile, a recent Facebook friend of the suspected paedophile or just randomly going round the town warning people - and so by extension everyone in the world will be warned?

It also sounds like that the company allowing the email to be sent are complicit in the defamation.

i hate this kind of **** - chinese whispers doing the rounds with no basis in fact.

pathtohome · 03-09-2012 11:44AM

Police accusing a FEMALE of being a pedophile in IRELAND???....

....MUST be a prank. The only thing females usually get here is their asses kissed.

Insect Overlord · 03-09-2012 11:45AM

Boombastic wrote: »

The guards should have left a comment on her wall.

Tis all time-lines these days...

*grumbles*

syklops · 03-09-2012 11:47AM

dr strangelove wrote: »

Sounds like the suspected paedophile is being harassed.

When the Guards called round were they talking to the suspected paedophile, a recent Facebook friend of the suspected paedophile or just randomly going round the town warning people - and so by extension everyone in the world will be warned?

It also sounds like that the company allowing the email to be sent are complicit in the defamation.

i hate this kind of **** - chinese whispers doing the rounds with no basis in fact.

Chinese whispers is right.

OP -> The guards told me about a suspected paedophile = First hand information
OP -> A Girl in work told me about a suspected paedophile = Second hand information.
OP -> A girl in work told me that the lady of the house was told by the Gardai about a suspected paedophile = Third hand information.

Dravokivich · 03-09-2012 11:56AM

syklops wrote: »

Chinese whispers is right.

OP -> The guards told me about a suspected paedophile = First hand information
OP -> A Girl in work told me about a suspected paedophile = Second hand information.
OP -> A girl in work told me that the lady of the house was told by the Gardai about a suspected paedophile = Third hand information.

And the last person is always gay.

mathie · 03-09-2012 12:04PM

Dravokivich wrote: »

And the last person is always gay.

You totally are.

Teyla Emmagan · 03-09-2012 12:24PM

This is completely bizarre. What kind of place do you even work OP that your company policies will allow an email to be sent around accusing somebody of being a paedophile?! That's the oddest thing I've ever heard. That sounds completely illegal and I would imagine would leave your company open to both slander and harrassment charges. Is this suspected paedophile even real? Does this woman who was told by the Guards even know her? And what is her connection to your workplace?

I don't think this is a scam, I think it's a pile of stinking horse manure.

Pumpkinseeds · 03-09-2012 12:41PM

I would be very suspicious of that. I find it hard to believe that the Gardaí would be calling to houses and making allegations that someone was a paedophile. If a parent were to decide to assault her surely the woman would be in a position to take legal action against the Gardaí. Sounds like nonsense and you only have one persons word that this even happened at all.

Apparent door to door Facebook warning by the Gardai

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