rent scam | 

€2 million stolen in accommodation fraud as gardaí issue urgent warning to students

Over half the victims were young women living in Dublin.

Today at 16:51

€2 million has been stolen in accommodationHow fraud since 2019 with most of the victims being young women under the age of 25 living in Dublin, new figures show.

Gardaí released startling statistics on Friday afternoon which show that there has been a 38% increase in accommodation fraud over the past 24 months. Not only that, students appear to be getting targeted as around one third of all cases occur during August and September each year.

“Gardaí are advising people to be wary of rental scams, particularly at this time of year when students are returning to college,” the statement said.

Rental fraud occurs when a victim pays money to rent an accommodation, usually in the form of a deposit, and subsequently discovers that the transaction was fraudulent.

Often money is paid out by a prospective tenant and excuses are made by a bogus landlord that the tenant isn’t able to view a property until a later date, or else the fraudster can receive money and simply vanish straight away.

Other examples occur when the transaction appears normal until the renter finds that the property doesn’t exist, is already occupied or the keys do not work and the landlord has disappeared.

Gardaí say that “if the rent seems too good to be true, then it probably is”.

Reservation fraud is another issue with fake websites and non-existent accommodation, often people find out that staff at hostels and hotels have no records of certain bookings.

An Garda Síochána have issued a number of warning signs for the public to beware of:

“The accommodation is only advertised through social media advertisements or the person letting the location will only communicate via Messenger or WhatsApp.

“Knowledge of the accommodation came from an unsolicited contact / social media feed / pop-up advertisement or the contact appears to be based in another jurisdiction.

“There is a sense of urgency to secure the accommodation by paying a deposit or the listing contains grammar or spelling mistakes and/or there are very limited details or pictures of the property.

“If the landlord is unable to meet up to show you the property in person. Payment is demanded before signing the lease. You are asked to pay cash, cryptocurrency or money via a non-bank transfer,” gardaí warn.

Students in particular are advised to do their own research, using bona fide sources. Check URLs to be sure that websites are real and always check refunds policies and contact details.

Money transfers should only be made using trustworthy systems, never rent a property without a viewing first.

Access http://www.rtb.ie to check if a property has been registered and research locations and average asking prices for an area.

Never use cash, Revolut, PayPal or crypto to make deposits, only use traceable methods, always ask for receipts. Never share your personal details, insist upon a tenancy agreement and report any fraud to local gardaí.

The following three incidents were reported to the guards in July:

“A 30-year-old male viewed a digital letting agency and was sent what he believed was a contract via email, which he signed and paid a total of €4,000 for a property in Dublin 8. The lease was agreed to start on 1st July 2023. When the man went to the property to meet the landlord, there was nobody there. He was unable to contact the landlord.

“A 25-year-old female responded to an advertisement regarding an apartment for rent. The woman was given details of a Revolut account over email and she transferred €1,200 as the first month’s payment and deposit. No keys were provided for the apartment

“A 28-year-old female observed a rental property online for a seasonal rental. The woman contacted an agent with a UK registered number via WhatsApp. The agent requested a deposit of €1,236 which was transferred to a bank with a French International Bank Account Number (IBAN). The woman was then unable to make further contact with agent.”