Three men arrived at a house on the Clarehill Road around lunchtime last Friday and told the occupants they were BT work men there to mend a nearby telegraph pole.

The three, who are believed to have been driving a white coloured vehicle, made off with an amount of cash and other items from the house. One of the men is described as having dark hair and another is believed to have spoken in an English accent.

Police say there was a previous incident in the Dromara / Hillsborough area where bogus callers were also believed to have been driving a white car.

Police have said that all genuine BT employees carry ID cards with an 0800 number on the rear of the card. Callers can ring to confirm the authenticity of the employee.

The number on the back connects to a BT Group Security Incident management centre in Milton Keynes which is manned on a 24 hour basis.

The security control will advise the caller to ask the engineer for a unique Employee Identification number to verify their validity.

Police say it is extremely unlikely an engineer would call without a pre-arranged appointment.