Caution urged over bogus caller

A RESEARCH group at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and the Health Services Executive (HSE) have warned the public not to be duped by a bogus fundraiser who is contacting people by phone and urging them to buy raffle tickets to help fight blindness.

The Macular Pigment Research Group at WIT has been informed a man has been “cold calling” members of the public, urging them to buy tickets to help fund ongoing research at the college into failing eyesight.

The man has told callers he is fundraising on behalf of WIT and the HSE. At least one woman has already bought tickets from the bogus collector.

Researchers involved with the WIT group say they have never raised funds in such a manner and urged anyone contacted or approached by this man or others to contact the gardaí.

“We have never, nor would we ever, fundraise in such a manner,” a spokesperson for the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG) said.

“We do raise funds through our registered charity, the Waterford Ophthalmic Research Fund. We are not fundraising through a raffle. Neither have we authorised anyone to raise funds for us by such a means,” the spokesperson added.

The HSE also confirmed that nobody within its organisation has been fundraising for the group.

A spokesperson at Waterford Garda Station said anyone contacted by this individual should ring the gardaí immediately on 051-305300.

The MPRG was established in 2002 with the support of WIT and substantial funding from the national charity Fighting Blindness.

Their focus is investigating macular pigment and its potential role in preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The group is the only one of its type in Ireland, and is one of the world’s leading centres studying macular pigment.