Student renters must be vigilant as €900k stolen in rent scams

Woman looking at houses and flats in the window of an estate agent in London, UK renting rent to let generic stock

Third-level students hoping to return to on-campus learning next month are being warned to be wary of rental scams targeting them.

Over the coming weeks, college students around the country will be searching for accommodation for the upcoming academic year and Gardaí have warned they are likely to be targeted by fraudsters.

Between February 1, 2019 and May 31, 2021, 503 rental scams were reported to An Garda Síochana.

Over €900,000 was stolen in these scams with 42% of injured parties under the age of 25.

The number of accommodation fraud cases have declined in the last 18 months due to Covid-19 but this year will see more students than ever entering the rental market for the first time as many spent their first year learning from home.

When seeking accommodation, students should only use recognised letting agencies. It is important to remember that websites can be cloned so potential renters should check the URL to verify it is a real website.

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan advised people to be very wary of social media ads or people who will only communicate via Messenger or WhatsApp.

If the information provided is vague and direct answers aren't given then it is best to disengage.

Unsolicited contacts, especially if it involves things like 'a one-time offer' or similar, should not be trusted nor contacts that appear to be based in other jurisdictions.

When paying deposits only trusted money transfer systems should be used with Det Spt Cryan recommending using a credit card.

Renters should never transfer money direct, pay cash or pay into cryptocurrency wallets.

Similarly, caution is advised where a website requires money to be sent to a random PayPal address, wired by Western Union, paid in iTunes gift cards or only deals in cryptocurrency.

Det Spt Cryan says these methods are usually used to avoid scrutiny and to ensure that a transaction cannot be reversed.