Gardaí warn about student accommodation fraud after woman loses €7,400 in scam

Since 2019, approximately €2m has been stolen in rental scams. 

Gardaí are warning students to "be wary of rental scams", with the annual return to college seeing a spike in the number of fraud cases. It comes as a 20-year-old woman lost €7,400 after transferring the money to a 'landlord' in the Netherlands for a property that was never available to rent.

Approximately one-third of all accommodation fraud reports occur in August and September each year, according to gardaí.

Rental fraud happens when a victim pays money to rent an accommodation — usually in the form of a deposit — and then find out that the transaction was fraudulent, say gardaí.

Gardaí are also warning about reservation fraud, which occurs when a person pays for a hotel/guesthouse room and then discovers that the transaction was fraudulent.   the property does not exist or staff at the property have no record of the booking.

Among the scams reported to gardaí last month are:

• A 21-year-old female posted on Facebook that she was looking for student accommodation in Cork. She then received correspondence from a third party with what she believed was a suitable apartment. The agent requested a €800 deposit to secure the accommodation. However, since making the transfer, she has not received keys to the apartment or any correspondence from the agent. 
• A 30-year-old male viewed a digital letting agency and was sent what he believed was a contract via email. He signed it and paid a total of €4,000 for a Dublin 8 property. The lease was agreed to start on July 1. However, when the man went to the property to meet the landlord, there was nobody there. He was unable to contact the landlord. 
• A 28-year-old female found a rental property online for a seasonal rental. She contacted an agent who had a British-registered number on Whatsapp. A deposit of €1,236 was requested and then transferred to a French bank account. The woman was then unable to make further contact with the agent.
• A 20-year-old female transferred €7,400 to a landlord in the Netherlands for accommodation. When she travelled to the Netherlands to obtain the keys of the rented property, the landlord failed to meet her, ignored her phone calls and blocked her phone number. She subsequently learned the property was never up for rent.

Last year saw a 38% increase in accommodation fraud compared to 2021.

Since 2019, approximately €2m has been stolen in rental scams. 

More than 50% of victims of accommodation fraud are aged under 25 and approximately 50% happen in Dublin. 

Gardaí have issued some warning signs for when looking for rented accommodation which include: 

• There is a sense of urgency to secure the accommodation by paying a deposit.
• 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.

The Residential Tenancies Board rent index provides students with important benchmark information, according to gardaí, and is an authoritative guide as to the actual rents being charged by landlords adjacent to all universities, ITs and other third-level colleges.