Horrible thugs broke into an 84-year-old Dubliner's house and snatched his pension money during a cruel robbery.
The elderly resident of Cedarwood Road was tricked by the con artists while the pensioner tried to help one of them out after his fake plea.
One of the wicked thieves knocked on the Finglas man's door holding a €50 note which the thug claimed to have owed his other neighbour.
In a bid to get the resident away from the door, he asked the pensioner for an envelope so he could write a note on it, put the money inside and post it to the neighbour.
While the elderly man looked for the envelope, a second masked thief is said to have ran upstairs and stolen the cash.
When the victim returned, the thief's phone rang and he told the resident that he wouldn't need the envelope anymore as the neighbour was actually now at home and that he would return the money personally.
He thanked the neighbour and left but the trickster's scheme only dawned on the pensioner hours later when the man noticed his room had been rifled through and his pension stolen.
A local community alert was sent out to residents of Finglas making them aware of this vicious plot.
It said: "Please inform everyone you know of this scam by the scum of the earth.
"Please watch out for your neighbours and report suspicious activities to the police."
Finglas Gardai have been informed about the incident and are investigating the matter.
Speaking about a similar scam that took place earlier this year, a spokesman for the Gardai advised people to do the following before handing over money to a charity or anyone else.
"No genuine business or charity will mind you carrying out your own enquiries or calling An Garda Síochána.
"If a person calls to your door offering you professional trade services, selling goods or collecting for a charity and you are worried they are not bona fide, tell the caller that you never deal with people who ‘cold call’ to your door.
"Ask for a brochure or documentation so you can carry out checks and verify their credibility.
"We always want to hear if there are people in the area who may be offering goods or services that are not genuine so don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call us."
