Alan Lewis, who lives in Banbridge, said he could not believe it when he learned that a man who had called into his office asking for a donation to a charity went on to poach other shops in the area for money in support of the Meningitis Trust.

The conman claimed that he was assisting Alan in his upcoming charity event Coast to Coast, through which he is aiming to raise funds both for the charity, and the Oliver Lewis Fund, set up in support of his two-and-a-half-year-old son.

Little Oliver lost both his legs below the knee and three of his finger tips to the deadly disease last May.

The News Letter was first made aware of the scam when the charity’s fundraiser for Scotland and Northern Ireland Anne Currie penned a letter warning that the Lurgan and Banbridge areas were being targeted.

None of the money collected, she said, was making its way to the Meningitis Trust.

Alan is preparing to run, along with his twin brother Simon, from Bundoran in Co Donegal to Newcastle, via a host of towns including Enniskillen, Armagh and Lurgan at the end of this month.

He revealed how he came face-to-face with the man who was – unbeknown to him – to go on and con businesses out of money by pretending that he was taking part in the Coast to Coast challenge as well.

“It was about three weeks ago and I had been sitting in my office in Banbridge when a ginger-haired man with a north England accent came in and said that he was walking for some charity or other,” recalled the father-of-two, who runs an asbestos consultancy company in the town.

“He even showed me ID. I told him about my upcoming event and he said that he would do it as well. I thought that was strange but thought no more about it.”

However a few days later, Alan was shocked to learn that his colleague’s sister had received a visit from a man of the same description, claiming that he was running with Alan in the Coast to Coast challenge.