Police have issued a public warning after two people entered a family home pretending to be Family and Community Services (FACS) caseworkers.
A family home in Karabar, near Queanbeyan in New South Wales, was approached by a man and a woman on Friday at 4 pm.
A mother and her two babies were home when the fake FACS caseworkers produced official looking ID and asked to see the children and “inspect their welfare”.
Both the babies were asleep, so the suspicious mother told the “caseworkers” that she would contact them after her children woke up. The man and the woman stated they would wait.
The children were subsequently presented to the pair by the mother, their rooms inspected and after which the couple left.
The mother had not had any interaction with the FACS or police, so contacted police to follow up on the incident.
She was then told by police they had no record of any FACS or welfare checks to her home, with FACS records confirming the same – a response that would surely be every parent’s worse nightmare.
In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Grey assured the public that there had been no other reports of such incidents.
“If in doubt of a government worker’s identity, members of the public should ask to see their identification,” he explained.
“FACS have confirmed that all caseworkers in the Southern District carry photo ID with their name, job title and FACS logo and will always present this when visiting a family.
The pair have been described as a Caucasian man in his 30s with a slim build and dark hair, and Caucasian woman in her 20s with a medium build and a tanned complexion.
Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers website.
