Real fireys find a fake in Melbourne

A NSW man who allegedly posed as a firefighter to get $500 from a Melbourne shopkeeper has been caught out by the real deal.

The man told a Northcote shopkeeper he was an MFB firefighter, who'd locked his keys in his car and needed a $500 loan, which he allegedly got, to pay for a locksmith, the MFB say on Tuesday.

Local firefighters were called and followed the man, 34, from NSW, who has since been charged with 12 offences including impersonating an MFB member, and remanded to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on October 19.