Gardai in North County Dublin are on alert after a man is said to have been posing as a garda and trying to lure children into his car in at least three different incidents.
According to the Mirror, a number of incidents have been reported over the past three weeks.
One incident happened in the Ridgewood estate in Swords, when a man, wearing what looked like a school satchel, was approached by the fake garda.
In a warning posted later on Facebook, the man who was approached said:
“A car pulled me over flashing lights to get my attention. The driver told me he was a garda and wanted to see my ID. I noticed a small boy in the front seat of the car and realised he was not a garda. So I told him if he wanted ID he would need to follow me home and I would get it for him. I walked away from the car. I never thought of getting a description as I was a little shocked and I was talking to someone on my mobile so I never got a chance. My best memory is that it was a light coloured, maybe gold, possibly an Opel. I rang the gardai and they advised I was not the only one to have been approached.”
He believes the fake garda approached him thinking he was a youngster.
“I am a man in his 30s but I was wearing a school-type bag on my back, maybe they thought I was younger.”
Later on, a woman reported being approached in the Airside area by a man also claiming to be a garda. She said he accused her of dangerous driving and “asked her to get into his car.”
The woman also said there was a “young fella in the car,” – suggesting the two incidents might be linked.
This comes after a dad claims his young son was left “shaking like a leaf” after being approached in Balbriggan earlier this month.
According to reports, the man (based on descriptions from the Swords approach) is said to be in his late 30s to early 40s, bald, with dark eyebrows and possibly a Cork accent. It is not yet known if all the incidents are linked.
