Student forced to sleep in car duped out of €600 in rental fraud 

A Brazilian woman recently bought an old car for €800 because she could not find anywhere else to live.

An international student who bought an old car to live in because she could not find accommodation in Dublin has now been duped out of €600 in rental fraud.

The woman is currently couch surfing in the home of an acquaintance but had recently signed a contract for a bunk bed in an apartment in Dublin from May 31 until February 2023, and handed over a deposit of €600. 

The rent was to be €600 per month, as outlined in the contract, seen by the Irish Examiner.

However, the Brazilian woman, who moved to Ireland over a month ago to learn English, says the landlord has now demanded a further €600 — and will not allow her to move into the apartment unless she pays it. 

She has tried to get her deposit back but has been unable to.

She said that she responded to an advertisement on social media featuring photos of the property. She paid a deposit of €600 for the accommodation without seeing it, and was given a receipt.

She reported the incident to gardaí on Friday and plans to make a report to the Residential Tenancies Board.

Nowhere to live

She recently bought an old car for €800 because she could not find anywhere else to live — before she was offered a couch in an acquaintance’s home until May 31.

The woman says she does not want to be named because she is “ashamed” of the situation she has found herself after moving to Ireland to learn English.

She said: “I feel so sick about my life here. I am here alone and I don’t have that money to give.” 

She added that she had a successful life in Brazil, where she had a cosmetics franchise, but decided to come to Ireland to learn English. She planned to stay here for up to two years.

But she said: “I am now very scared about my current situation.” 

Sleeping on streets

This week, the Irish Examiner highlighted the fact that growing numbers of international students coming to Ireland to learn English are ending up
sleeping on the streets and couch-surfing because of difficulties in finding accommodation. 

One student who has been searching for properties on rental websites and social media apps said she was inundated with scams on social media. 

Another said he had been lucky enough not to be scammed after he too was targeted with several offers of what he believes were rental scams.

Housing agency Threshold is warning people to be wary of any rent offers that appear to be too good to be true, even on legitimate rental accommodation platforms.

The agency said that more research is needed if the rent seems like a bargain.

It advises:

• Check to see if the tenancy is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB);
• Never agree to rent a property through a website or social media; you need to visit the property and ensure it is a genuine let; you need to be happy with the property and the terms and conditions of the letting; 
• Remember, scammers often copy photos, addresses, and other information from various rental listings and then use this information to put up a fake listing;
• Never hand over cash, as cash is untraceable and can be used immediately;
• Never transfer funds via Western Union, Moneybookers, or other electronic fund transfer services to someone claiming to be an agent or landlord for a prospective property. It is advisable to use an ESCROW account where possible to ensure funds are not released until you are certain that it is a legitimate transaction.