Watch: Gardaí warn of student accommodation scams ahead of third-level reopening

GARDAÍ have issued a warning to students seeking accommodation with €900,000 stolen in rental scams in the last two years in Ireland.

They are advising people to be wary of rental scams, particularly at this time of year when students are returning to college.

While accommodation frauds have declined in recent months due to Covid-19 restrictions Gardaí have highlighted that the new generation of third level students seeking accommodation could be a target for fraudsters.

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Gardaí National Economic Crime Bureau said students should only use recognised letting agencies or deal with people who are trusted. 

He warned websites can be cloned and advised to 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," he said.

"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'.

"If you have decided to take up the offer only use trusted money transfer systems, I would recommend using a credit card. Never transfer money direct, pay cash, pay into cryptocurrency wallets.

"Be wary if a website is asking you to send money to a random PayPal address, wire it by Western Union, pay in iTunes gift cards or only deals in cryptocurrency. The majority of the time, those methods are done to avoid scrutiny and ensure that a transaction can’t be reversed."

• There were a total of 503 cases of rental scams reported to AGS between 1st February 2019 and 31st May 2021.
• These incidents have been declining in the last 18 months with Covid-19 restrictions the likely cause of the decline.
• Almost half of these incidents occurred in the Dublin Region.
• Just over €900,000 was stolen in rental scams over this period.
• 42% of all injured parties were under the age of 25.
• 72% of all injured parties were under the age of 35.