Dodgy Irish tradesmen: conmen target multiple Melbourne suburbs as police close in on gang
A gang of conmen posing as dodgy tradesmen targeting vulnerable Seaford residents are believed to be connected to similar rorts across Melbourne but police are closing in.
South East
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A gang of conmen posing as tradesmen targeting vulnerable Seaford residents is believed to be connected to similar rorts across Melbourne.
Victoria Police have joined with NSW Police and Border Force in a bid to quash the gang for good.
Police have collected pamphlets they believe were delivered to Sandringham and the northern suburbs by conmen witnesses described as caucasian men with Irish accents.
They are similar to a pamphlet for bogus company “First Choice Home Solutions” (pictured), which was delivered to Seaford homes last month.
The company offers free quotes for a range of services including gutter cleaning and carpentry.
The bogus tradies request part or full payment upfront, but then vanish with their victim’s cash.
A Seaford woman was the gang’s latest victim when she handed over $29,000 for a job which never started.
But police are close to busting the gang after the arrest of an Irish national, 26, at Seaford last week.
The man was one of four Irishmen scooped up by police last Monday along with a quantity of cash, and charged with obtaining property by deception and giving a false name.
A fifth man was detained in Sydney.
Detective Acting Sergeant John Melhuish said he was surprised at the extent of the issue across the city.
“After the media attention we got last week, the amount of information flooding in relating to these types of incidents was quite staggering,” he said.
“We think the same gang is connected to similar crimes in Bayside and the northern suburbs.
“Despite being the talk of the town, these offenders kept up their dodgy little act and approached a Frankston man offering to fix his roof.
“He was aware of the scam and while he was talking to them called triple-0 to report them.”