Gardaí warn students following 30% spike in accommodation scams

Students in sleeping bags protesting outside the Dáil last year over funding for purpose built student housing. Gardaí say the return to college timeframe shows a further rise in housing scams. Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Gardaí have warned students to be wary of accommodation fraud when trying to secure housing for the new academic year with cases rising by 30%.

Scammers are stealing an average of €1,300 from their victims according to gardaí, whose data shows a large spike in the scams from February to July this year, compared to the same time period in 2019 (pandemic years have been omitted).

The figures show €291,452 has been stolen to date in 2022 through these instances of fraud, versus almost €250,000 in 2019. They also show 50% of the incidents take place in Dublin. 

Gardaí say the return to college timeframe shows a further rise in housing scams, as over 50% of the victims of accommodation fraud were aged under 25 this year. 

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Gardaí National Economic Crime Bureau gave this advice:

"You should only use recognised letting agencies or deal with people who are bona fida and trusted. Websites can be cloned, check the URL to ensure it’s a real website and take note of the privacy and refund policy sections.

"Be very wary of social media advertisements or where a person letting the location will only communicate via messenger or Whatsapp. You should push for direct answers and if responses are vague disengage immediately."

Mr Cryan also said people should watch out for unsolicited contacts or where the contact appears to be based in other jurisdictions and especially if there is a sense of urgency like "a one-time offer". 

He said students should use only trusted money transfer systems, instead of transferring money direct, paying cash, or paying into cryptocurrency wallets. 

"Be wary if a website is asking you to send money to a random PayPal address or asking you to wire it by Western Union or pay in iTunes gift cards or ask you to pay for long-term rental accommodation via a short-term letting website or only deals in cryptocurrency," he said.

"Most of the time, those methods are done to avoid scrutiny and ensure that a transaction can not be reversed."

Some red flags to be looked out for when searching for student accommodation are: 

• When the landlord isn't able to show you the property in person. 
• When all communication is through text, Whatsapp, or another social media platform. 
• When the property is offered with no questions and payment is demanded immediately.