Hunt on for conmen who tricked 50 people of 50,000

GARDAÍ are hunting two con artists after they tricked over 50 people out of almost 50,000 by falsely sub-letting houses to them.

In what were apparently separate scams, the two men received one month's rent in advance and one month's rent as deposit from 18 would-be tenants, before disappearing with their money. The 18 victims are thought to have represented around 50 people, as they paid for themselves and their other intended house-mates.

Detectives investigating one of the cases yesterday released a picture of the man they want to question in relation to the scam at a house in Portobello, Dublin 8.