Two men have been arrested over an alleged travelling Irish roofing con, where offenders were able to take $260,000 from a single victim.

Two men have been arrested over an “Irish roof scam” police allege conned $260,000 from one victim.

Police arrested the men in connection with their investigation into “travelling conmen” operating tradie scams in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

The alleged offenders used the cash to buy Rolexes and designer clothes, Victorian police allege.

Yesterday police searched three properties across Melbourne in connection with the scam, where the two men allegedly used flyers, doorknocks and letter drops to lure their victims into thinking their were maintenance workers.

Police say the men, who have “Irish accents”, falsely advertised repair work, including asphalting, roof cleaning, tiling, painting and tree lopping.

They say the men were able to con $260,000 from a single victim.

A man, 28, was arrested in Hadfield, north of the CBD. A second man, 29, was arrested in Heidelberg West, northeast of Melbourne’s CBD.

The two men are now assisting police with their inquiries.

Police also executed searches at three properties in Bedford Street, Hadfield and Lae Street, Heidelberg West yesterday.

Reports emerged of a tradie scam in March, with men with Irish accents approaching people and offering them “discounts” for supposedly urgent work.

“This investigation demonstrates the lengths police will go to find the people involved in these types of crimes and the partnerships that we have with other law enforcement agencies” said Victoria Police Acting Inspector Scott Dwyer.

“These strong relationships allow us to apprehend people even when they are outside Victoria.

“We know that travelling conmen predominantly doorknock or letter-drop homes and businesses offering to do maintenance and repair work, such as asphalting, roof cleaning, tiling, painting or tree lopping,” he said.

“If you want work done on your property, we ask that you don’t just use a flyer to make a decision. Make sure you shop around for more than one written quote.

“These types of deception offences can have a significant impact on people’s lives and are often targeted at more vulnerable members of our community. We don’t want to see anyone else fall victim to travelling conmen.

“We strongly encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of travelling conmen or fake tradies to report it to their local police as soon as possible.”

Some victims were directly contacted by the alleged offenders, telling them their homes needed urgent repair work costing tens of thousands.

A woman, 74, from Mosman in NSW, was nearly conned out of her life savings of $30,000 by a gang of fake tradies with Irish accents, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They appeared at her home three days after she met them at church — one man climbing onto her roof, while another told her they’d discounted her price from $80,000 to $30,000.

When she refused to pay, they advised her to get a bank loan.

The Victorian Government issued warnings about fake tradies in March, advising the public to be wary of discounts and limited-time offers.