On New Year’s Day an elderly man in Orange was approached by two men with Irish accents offering to paint his roof.

The two men were not operating under a legitimate business registered in Australia and are believed to be members of an Irish/English gypsy group. 

Crime prevention officer Greg Treavors said thankfully the man did the right thing and contacted police.

“They commonly target elderly people,” he said.

“But this man wasn’t caught out.”

Senior Constable Treavors said these type of conmen usually offered to do work around the house and charged a large amount of money but left before the job was completed.

“They don’t usually stay in town very long,” he said.

“If they don’t get the jobs they’ll move on pretty quickly.”

Residents are advised to always ask for identification, do not hand over any money until work is completed to a high standard and call police with information on any suspicious activity.

The two men were driving a station wagon.