GARDAI warns students about rental scams as the new academic year approaches.
Approximately one-third of all accommodation-related fraud reports occur in August and September each year.
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Gardai said there had been an 11 per cent drop in reports of rental fraud by the end of June, but the period between August and October – when students return to university – brings an “annual increase in housing fraud”.
About 24 percent of victims are under 25 years old, followed by 66 percent who are under 33 years old.
While 54 percent are men and 46 percent are women, only 30 percent of these victims are Irish.
Gardai warned that rental fraud occurs when the victim pays money to rent a property – usually in the form of a deposit – and later realises that it was a fraudulent transaction.
They added that twelve victims reported a total loss of 20,746 euros, an average of 1,729 euros each.
The highest amount was 3,685 euros, followed by the lowest amount of 380 euros.
According to Gardai, ten of these victims lived in Ireland and each lost €1,523.
Two of them were expatriate victims who moved to Ireland and between them they lost €5,515.
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They added: “At least eight of the 12 victims were deceived through social media/online advertising or contacts.”
Further and Higher Education spokesperson TD Mairéad Farrell urged students in Galway to be on guard against accommodation scams.
He said: “Some of the Garda statistics are quite frightening and I really hope no one falls victim to these scammers.”
“People have to be very careful in Galway, says Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan.”
“For example, watch out for websites that don’t seem reputable, people contacting you with offers via social media, the landlord who can’t show you the property in person and puts serious pressure on you to pay up front before you sign a lease.”
TD Mairéad said students are strongly advised to be cautious when receiving requests for payment through sources such as PayPal, Western Union or Amazon gift cards.
She added that finding accommodation in Galway “could be difficult enough without the added stress of falling victim to a scammer.”
TD Mairéad said: “Don’t start the coming academic year on the wrong foot. Be careful, be prudent and use only legitimate sources when looking for accommodation.”
“RED FLAGS”
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) advises that there are a number of warning signs associated with accommodation fraud.
They said: “If the rent seems too good to be true, it probably is – cheap accommodation doesn’t exist, especially in urban areas.”
“Advertising takes place exclusively via social media and the landlord’s communication takes place exclusively via Messenger or WhatsApp.”
“There is a sense of urgency, like a once-in-a-lifetime offer.”
“The landlord is unable to meet with you in person to show you the property.
“If you are asked to pay cash, cryptocurrency or money via non-bank transfer (e.g. electronic transfer) (or) if the bank account you are asked to transfer the money to is in another country.”
TIPS FOR FIND ACCOMMODATION
GARDAI has compiled a list of tips below that you should know before renting a property.
• Do your own research on the advert and the property.
• Only use recognized letting agencies or work with people who are reputable and trustworthy, such as the college or student union.
• Be careful with cloned websites: Make sure the site is genuine – check the URL, look for trust seals; check the privacy policy, the refund policy section, the contact section and also for spelling mistakes; check the website’s refund policy.
• Know your consumer rights. These are protected when you use a legitimate website.
• If you decide to accept the offer, only use trusted money transfer systems – An Garda Síochána recommends using a credit card.
• Never agree to rent a property without first having the opportunity to view it.
• Make sure the keys work and you have the correct contact details of the landlord/agent.
• Ideally, the property is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). This can be checked on the Board’s website.
• Research the area thoroughly to find out the average asking prices and compare them with the ad/offer.
• It is best to meet the landlord to view the property. If for some reason this is not possible (this reason should be on your side, the landlord has no excuse), ask as many verifiable questions as possible, such as: What bus routes are there nearby? What local amenities are there (supermarkets, etc.)?
• Ask for the exact address and verify the existence of the property. Check Google Maps to make sure the property is the same as the one advertised. Do a reverse image search of all published images to see if they appear elsewhere on the internet.
• The RTB Rent Index provides students with important benchmark information and is an authoritative guide to the actual rents charged by landlords near all universities and other higher education institutions.
Gardai gave some examples of rental fraud: “The fraudster pretends to be out of the country and cannot show the tenant the property without the tenant paying a security deposit.”
“The victim pays the bail and is responsible for the loss of the bail.
“The fraudster lives in the property, shows the property to several people, has several people pay a deposit and then disappears with the money.
“The transaction appears normal until the tenant discovers that the property does not exist, is already occupied, or the keys do not work and the landlord has disappeared.”
NOTES ON PAYMENT METHODS
GARDAI urges tenants to use secure payment methods to avoid losing money.
• Do not hand over cash, make a Revolut payment, transfer money to an account or pay with cryptocurrency – pay in a way that is traceable and/or refundable.
• Insist on a proper receipt and a rental agreement (have someone take a look if you are not familiar with rental agreements).
• Do not engage in offsite communications to obtain a lower cash price.
• Never share personal, financial or security information with anyone you do not know.
• Never transfer money directly, pay with cash, iTunes vouchers or cryptocurrency wallets.
• Be cautious if a website asks you to send money to any PayPal address, transfer it via Western Union, pay with iTunes gift cards, pay for a long-term rental through a short-term rental website, or trade only with cryptocurrency. Most of the time, these methods are used to avoid verification and ensure that a transaction cannot be reversed.
• Always report it to the Gardaí and your bank and ask your bank to call you back as soon as possible.
