Student conned out of thousands when he awoke to find 12 people moving into his apartment

College students are being warned to stay alert to a wave of rental scams ahead of the annual rush for accommodation.

An international student who realised he had been conned out of thousands when he awoke to find 12 people moving into his apartment one morning was among the many students targeted by scam landlords last year.

College students are being warned to stay alert to a wave of rental scams ahead of the annual rush for accommodation in the coming weeks for the new academic year.

As thousands of students begin searching for rental properties, national housing charity Threshold has joined forces with the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) and the Union of Students Ireland (USI) to raise awareness of rental scams.

With hundreds of students targeted by false “landlords” each year, one student who fell victim to a complex scam last year was Levi Amarilo. After arriving in March from Brazil, he spotted an advert on Facebook for a studio in Rathmines, posted by a fellow Brazilian.

He moved into this with his partner and became friendly with the man he had paid €2,400 for a deposit and one month's rent to. When he told him his brother was also coming to Ireland from Brazil, this man suggested he move to a larger property on the River Liffey for €3,000 a month.

After a viewing, he and his partner spent all of their money on the €6,000 required for the deposit and month’s rent.

Two days after they moved in, he awoke late one morning to find 12 people from countries including Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Brazil in the front room, after the “landlord” had given them all keys to “move in” on the same day and subsequently fled.

Despite the Gardaí’s involvement, there were no refunds as the scammer had escaped out of the jurisdiction.

"To avoid rental scams, it is key that renters take precautions, such as requesting a written agreement of rental terms and conditions and using a secure payment method — and not cash in hand — after the contract has been signed and witnessed in the presence of the other party," said Threshold chief executive John-Mark McCafferty.  File photo: Mark Stedman

Advice

According to Threshold, Levi’s situation is not uncommon, with many other prospective renters facing similar experiences each year. False websites are reportedly becoming an increasingly common platform for scams, as well as websites that appear as replicas of real letting platforms such as Daft.ie and Airbnb.

On Wednesday, it launched a new campaign highlighting the “dos and don’ts” for students and providing them with contact information for Threshold, ICOS, and USI. 

"To avoid rental scams, it is key that renters take precautions, such as requesting a written agreement of rental terms and conditions and using a secure payment method — and not cash in hand — after the contract has been signed and witnessed in the presence of the other party," said Threshold chief executive John-Mark McCafferty. 

We strongly encourage any student or renter who is unsure if they are being scammed to contact our advisors for free advice and support.

Nearly one in seven international students reported they had been a victim of an accommodation scam while in Ireland, according to ICOS executive director Laura Harmon. 

“These students are often more vulnerable as English is not their first language and they usually don’t have relations or friends they can stay with in the short term while looking for a place to live."

USI vice president for campaigns Zaid Al-Barghouthi said: "We hope this campaign can serve as a reference for students as they are on the hunt for a place to live. Also, if you recognise a scam, or have been a victim of one, it’s important to report it to the Gardaí.”