Ireland Midlands gardaí alert after conman steals cash from home
Laois Offaly and Midlands Gardaí issued a public alert after cash was taken from a house by a man posing as a pension checker, but the date and exact location of the theft were not given. The suspect is a man in his 30s, believed to be calling to houses in Laois and driving a small grey car, and his nationality is not stated. Gardaí say he asks to check the householder's pension book at the door and uses this to distract the occupant while he steals, and the victim is described only as a person in the articles, though the headlines call them a pensioner. The alert was posted on Facebook in late December 2023, and no arrest or charge has been reported, with the latest development being the Longford Leader report of 31 December 2023.
- Reported29 Dec
3 reports - Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Cash was robbed from a house by a man pretending to check pensions.
- Where
- Gardaí believe the man is calling to houses in Laois; the location of the theft is not given.
- When
- The alert gave no date for the theft.
- Other details
- The victim is described as a person in the articles, while the headlines describe them as a pensioner.
- The suspect is a man aged in his 30s, and his nationality is not stated.
- The man is believed to be travelling in a small grey car.
- Cause
- When the door is opened, the man asks to check the householder's pension book, which gardaí say is a distraction to allow him to steal.
- Investigation
- Laois Offaly and Midlands Gardaí issued an appeal for the public's assistance, including an alert on Facebook.
- Sources disagree on the appeal date: one gives 30 December and others give 30 January, and the articles are dated 29 to 31 December 2023.
- Charges
- No arrest or charge has been reported.
19 statements extracted from the articles
- whatMoney was robbed from a house by a man pretending to check pensions. (leinsterexpress.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
- whatA man aged in his 30s is believed to be calling to houses in Laois on criminal endeavour. (offalyexpress.ie)
- whatHe distracted a person's attention long enough to locate and rob money from their home. (offalyexpress.ie)
- whatCash was robbed from a house by a man pretending to check pensions. (longfordleader.ie)
- whatGardaí warned that the man distracted a person so he could find and steal money from their home. (longfordleader.ie)
- whereThe man is believed to be calling to houses in Laois. (leinsterexpress.ie)
- whenThe alert did not give details of when or where the theft took place. (leinsterexpress.ie, offalyexpress.ie)
- whenThe alert did not say when or where the theft took place. (longfordleader.ie)
- causeThe man asks to check the householder's pension book when the door is opened, as a distraction from stealing. (offalyexpress.ie)
- investigationLaois Offaly Gardaí issued an appeal for the public's assistance. (leinsterexpress.ie)
- investigationGardaí issued an alert via Facebook. (leinsterexpress.ie)
- investigationLaois Offaly Gardaí issued an alert via Facebook. (offalyexpress.ie)
- investigationLaois Offaly Gardaí issued an alert on Facebook. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe man asks to check the householder's pension book when the door is opened. (leinsterexpress.ie, longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe man is believed to be in his 30s. (leinsterexpress.ie)
- otherThe individual is believed to be travelling in a small grey car. (leinsterexpress.ie, offalyexpress.ie, longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe appeal was issued on 30 December. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe suspect is believed to be a man in his 30s who calls to houses. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe pension check is a distraction from the man's real purpose, which is to steal. (longfordleader.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 31 Dec2023Midlands gardai issue alert after con artist robs cash from pensioner
Warning to the public about a bogus pension-check scam in which cash was stolen from a house. The alert gave no date, location or victim details, and no arrest was reported.
suspect, 30s, malevictim - 30 Dec2023Local gardai issue alert after con artist robs cash from pensioner
Gardaí's Facebook alert about a con artist posing as a pension checker who robbed a home. The article gives no date or specific location for the theft, and the alert describes the suspect as a man in his 30s in a small grey car.
victimsuspect, 30s, male - 29 Dec2023Laois Garda alert as con artist robs cash from pensioner
Garda appeal and Facebook alert about a pension-checking con artist; the article gives no date, place or victim details for the theft. The article is dated 29 December 2023 but says the appeal was issued on January 30.
victimsuspect, 30s, male