Irish Olympian urges caution after being robbed of €2,000 in car scam
An Irish world record breaker has urged caution to car buyers after he was robbed of €2,000 in a scam in Dublin recently.
Athlete Shane Healy (51) believed that he would have been bundled into an open car boot if he didn't hand over the cash during the terrifying incident at Tyrrelstown on October 2nd.
Shane, who represented Ireland in the 1996 Olympics and is the world record holder for the 1500m indoors for the over 50s, had travelled from his home in Co Louth to meet with the buyer of a 2009 Skoda Octavia which had been advertised online.
"The exhaust of my 2003 car had fallen off and I was looking to upgrade so I came across this car online and rang the number," he said.
"We struck up a rapport. The man was very plausible. I work as a carer and he said his wife was a carer too and was only getting rid of the car because she had won €15,000 in a Credit Union draw.
"I got the bus to meet him the next day. I got paid €1,000 in wages and I put another €1,000 on my credit card. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be scammed on a ten year old car.
"When I got to the estate where he said he was living, he rang me and said he would be another 15 minutes as he wasn't at home.
"Then he came out of a laneway and called me over. He asked to see the money as he said he had been messed about before but I wasn't going to show any money before I had even seen the car.
He pointed to a vehicle with the boot open and put me up against the wall, telling me to hand over the money.
"I froze. I was genuinely afraid and he was a big man compared to me. I really believed that I was going to be bundled into the boot of that car - which was nothing like a Skoda Octavia.
"When I handed over the money, he told me to keep walking to the car and that he'd be back in a minute. He never came back and I knew I'd been robbed straightaway."
When Shane rang the gardaí, a number of neighbours approached him on the street and asked him if he was alright.
"They said I was the tenth victim of similar scams."
Shane said it was nine hours before gardaí called him back.
"I rang them six times and people in the estate also called. It happened at 11am but by 3pm, I couldn't wait anymore and went back home on the bus.
"The gardaí rang me at 8pm that night, apologising that they couldn't get to me any earlier. So I went in a few days later to make a statement.
"I just want to warn people to be careful. I had no idea that it was a scam. It was a massive amount of money for me to lose.
"These people show no remorse. If you're buying a car, go to a reputable garage and bring someone with you. And don't bring cash. I learned the hard way and I'm disappointed in myself that I trusted him.
Gardaí said they "received a report on the 4th October 2019 in relation to the theft of cahs from a man in Blanchardstown. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing."
