The Garda have issued a scam warning targeting 3rd level students in Ireland ahead of campus reopening in the country. There was a total of 503 cases of rental scams reported to AGS between 1st February 2019 and 31st May 2021, Garda said in a statement through their website.
The case numbers had been declining presumed to be due to the Covid situations. But the authority is doubting the fraud acts may persist as the restrictions likely to be eased in the coming weeks.
According to Garda, of all cases reported, almost half occurred in Dublin region. 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, further states the warning.
While accommodation frauds have declined in recent months due to Covid19 restrictions Gardaí have highlighted that the new generation of 3rd level students seeking accommodation could be a target for fraudsters.
Detective Superintendent Michel Cryan of the Gardaí National Economic Crime Bureau gave the following 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.
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.’
