Castlebar Community Policing Unit will be hosting a drop-in Business Watch meeting in Bridge Street Bar, Castlebar, on Tuesday December 10 from 5pm. The purpose of this meeting is to update members on the status of the group and also to introduce Sgt Hugh O’Donnell.
Sgt O’Donnell’s specialist area is fraud, and the Community Policing Unit has been contacted recently by Castlebar businesses that have been targeted by fraudsters trying to get bank details, among other things, from them. Gda Michael Toland explained: "Over the last number of weeks, a number of businesses in the town have been contacted by fraudsters. These people are very convincing, are contacting small business and often target small sums of money. As a result, the businesses are more inclined to believe the contact and often drop their guard.”
According to Sgt O'Donnell, “some people believe that criminals usually only target large businesses and multi-nationals, but my experience is that small businesses are equally at risk, and maybe even more so, as they may not have the same security measures and precautions in place so can often be more vulnerable. This is why I am delighted to meet all businesses in Castlebar especially coming up to Christmas. Shops are very busy at this time and criminals know this, so will target their victims accordingly. I encourage every size of business to come and meet me.”
The meeting will be of an informal nature and Sgt O'Donnell will outline warning signs to look for that will alert businesses to fraudsters and what to do when you suspect something is not right, no matter how big or small your business is. Christmas is a great time for everyone and by attending this meeting, you could ensure that you do not end up upset and out of pocket this Christmas.
