A YOUNG mum has told how a bogus social worker examined her five-week-old daughter after tricking her way into her home.

The mum claims the woman has struck at two houses on the Fern Grove estate, Bury.

The woman, described as having "piercing deep blue eyes", produced a fake, but authentic-looking, ID card on both occasions.

She claimed to be following up complaints against the mothers and gave the babies a physical examination. One of the mums became suspicious and contacted Bury's social services department and discovered that the visitor was an imposter.

She called herself Ema, and is described as white, in her early 20s, with long dark hair.

One of the victims says she is now too scared to go out of the house, fearing her child has been targeted.

Speaking exclusively to the Bury Times, the mum-of-one, who asked not to be identified, said the woman called at her home at 11.30am on Monday, April 30.

She produced a laminated ID card from her jacket pocket. It featured the Bury Council and NHS logos, a reference number and a photograph.

The mum said: "She was young, smartly dressed, tanned, wore a wedding ring and appeared genuine. She knew I had a baby girl. I asked what the complaint was about but she refused to tell me. The woman asked to see where my daughter slept and asked all sorts of questions about me, my partner and the baby. She then asked if she could examine my daughter. She didn't undress her but checked her arms, legs and stomach. She was very professional. She said the complaint was probably bogus but she would have to return in seven days. If it wasn't for my mum and grandmother becoming suspicious about the visit when I told them about it, and then finding out that she was bogus, then I would have let her back into my house if she returned. God knows what could have happened."

An hour after the bogus social worker had left, a man dressed in a smart business suit, and similar in age to the woman, knocked on the mum's door claiming to be a fire marshall.He warned that residents may have to evacuated due to a large blaze on the estate. The mum rang friends who said they were unaware of any fire in the area.

The 20-year-old said: "I firmly believe the man and woman are working together. I later spoke to another young mum who said the same woman had visited her four days earlier and she had used the same story to get into her home. Her baby was also examined. I have become suspicious of anyone who calls. I am really scared and other residents on the estate are terrified. Parents have stopped their young children playing out for fear of anyone taking them."

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday afternoon that a Radcliffe couple with three children, one aged four, had a note pushed through their door yesterday morning purporting to be from a social care worker arranging a visit to discuss a complaint of domestic violence. Bury's social care unit said the allegations were unfounded and that no referral visit had been arranged to the family's address.

Speaking about the Bury incident, a spokesman for social services said: "Our social care team received a report that a visit had taken place by a someone purporting to be a social worker. Having checked our records this worker was not known to us nor had we received a referral to suggest that a visit was needed or requested. We advised the lady reporting the incident to inform the police immediately.

"Following a visit from the police, the lady phoned once again to check that it had not been a caller from the authority as it had been suggested that our records may not be up to date. We once again checked thoroughly and advised the caller that this person was not a genuine employee. The social care division contacted the police to advise them that their records were up to date and that this may in fact be a bogus caller.

"The council strongly advises anybody that is visited by a caller purporting to be a social worker to check their ID extremely carefully, ask for the reason for the visit and if they have any concerns to telephone the council to verify the identity of the caller before they let them into their home."