It's not often that a granny gets pulled over during a car chase while driving the wrong way up the Luas tracks, but then it's not often that scammers try to pull the wool over the eyes of someone as persistent as caller Evelyn. She contacted Philip Boucher-Hayes on Liveline to share her story and warn listeners about a particularly convincing con man who hoodwinked her into parting with much-needed cash.
"Last Friday I was walking down Eccles Street outside the Mater Private. I was approached by a young fellow who was absolutely distressed out of his mind. Missus, will you help me, will you help me, my sister's after dying. She's 37 years of age, she's schizophrenic and I need to get back to Cavan. So I just said, what do you need and he said, I'll give you my keys and I'll give you my phone to hold as collateral, I just need a bus ticket.
I said, what's the bus ticket, and he said €26.50 and I said Jesus I don't have €26.50. I offered if he had a Leap card I could top up his Leap card for him. Anyway, he said, no. He was really, really shaken, he was repeating the Lord's prayer as he was saying, I have to get back home, I have to get back home.
When I say to you I hadn't got 2 pennies to rub together, well I'd about €6.50 in change in my purse but I'd nothing in the bank but I went over to the local Spar and I took out €20 euro on my overdraft. I counted it into his hand outside the shop. Beforehand, and this is how I believed him 100%, he said to me, you don't have to give me money, would you come down to the bus station with me and buy me a ticket so I said to myself, he must be genuine."
Evelyn generously opened her heart and her purse to the young man and went about her business. However, a short time later, she was in her car and happened to see him pulling the same stunt on another passer-by.
"I parked the car and I jumped out and I walked down to him. I grabbed him by the arm and I said, can I have my money, please. Now he was startled when he saw me, he didn't know for a second who I was and I said to the man he was talking to, he's after taking €26 from me and with that he pushed my arm out of his way and he ran… I got into the car, drove up Eccles Street…
There he was, walking into the bookies on Dorset Street, so I parked the car again and I went into the bookies and there were about ten men and there was your man at the table filling out a docket. I took the door and I held the door closed with my hand and I roared to the men… I said, please will you hold him until I call the police… They just looked at me"
With no one coming to her aid, Evelyn got back into her car and when the scammer left the bookies, she continued her pursuit through the streets of Dublin, eventually being pulled over by Gardaí for driving the wrong way up the Luas line! While they were more than willing to help, the Gardaí's hands were tied by the fact that technically, a crime hadn't taken place. Evelyn had willingly given over the money.
Frustrated, upset and defeated, Evelyn gave up her valiant chase, but this isn't the first time such an instant has been reported to Liveline, and Evelyn isn't the only one cheated by this particular individual. Other callers contacted the programme to share almost identical stories. If Evelyn has one piece of advice to those confronted by such a scenario, it's this:
"Ask them to produce a death certificate before handing over the money!"
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