Homeowners in Galway were warned by gardai after reports of fake tradesmen offering services for a "low price" in the area was brought to their attention.
The warning was given to those living in the North Galway area in a bid to prevent them falling foul of the scam, Galway Beo reported.
Councillor Andrew Reddington explained to Galway Bay FM that several men have been offering to tarmac driveways in the area for a low price.
Figures have show that there was a 15% marked increase in incidents involving individuals purporting to be tradesmen.
Gardaí gave a number of pointers to local homeowners to ensure that possible con-men or burglars did not get access to their homes.
They told them to turn on some lights, consider using timer switches/ motion detectors/ smart lights to turn on lights remotely, to lock all doors and windows, to use a working alarm, to store keys out of view of nearby windows and never to keep large amounts of cash or jewellery in their homes.
The number of individuals impersonating gardai in a bid to gain access to households has also increased.
The scam runs whereby the phoney tradesmen ask to check cash handed to them by the homeowner, citing a rise in counterfeit notes.
They have also been known to ask about what security systems are operational in the house, citing an increase of burglaries in the area.
"Gardai will never cold call a house and ask to to do these things and that any member of An Garda Síochána that calls to you door will supply identification," the garda advice warned.
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