Warning about bogus charity collectors

Residents in the Longford area have been advised to be cautious if approached by collectors calling door-to-door looking for charitable donations. The call was made by PAWS Animal Rescue, who were informed of bogus collectors claiming to be collecting money on their behalf.

“It’s happened to us three times this week,” said Gina Hetherington of PAWS. “We were told by a girl who got in contact with us via Facebook, who said collectors were going around selling lines.

“There are young lads with ID cards and hi-vis jackets with our charity’s name on them knocking on doors. We know for certain that they were calling to houses on Bannon Terrace in Longford town.”

In addition to the criminal nature of the operation, Ms Hetherington said it was also having a knock-on affect on the charity. “It is making it more difficult for us to raise money, because people cannot distinguish between genuine collectors and these criminals,” she said. “If you think these people have called to your door, please call the gardaí immediately, and inform us as well.”

In a separate development, a rise has been noted in the number of dogs going missing in Longford, but the local dog pound has not noticed a rise in the number of animals being caught.

One theory is that the dogs are being stolen and sold on.

Ms Hetherington alleged that shipments of stolen dogs are going out of the country “practically every night.”