Warning over ‘sponsored fast’ scam

By Sean O’Riordan

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

GARDAÍ have warned householders in a Cork suburb to be on the lookout for a number of teenage scam artists who are claiming they’re doing a sponsored fast for their school.

The warning came after a group of boys, aged around 15 and 16, visited a number of houses in Ballincollig last Saturday.

"We know this happened in the Coolroe area and we checked it out with the schools. There was no sponsored fast going on," said Supt Con Cadogan. He said anybody raising money for legitimate causes should be in possession of a permit issued by the gardaí.

"These permits are issued by a garda superintendent and have a garda stamp on them", he said.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Ballincollig are seeking the public’s help with another, unrelated incident.

At around 7.30pm last Saturday a man wielding a knife burst into Horgan’s Centra at the Eastside Shopping Centre.

The raider was wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Ballincollig Garda Station at (021) 4871222.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, November 03, 2009