The Gardaí reported 12 instances of accommodation fraud last month, with victims conned of over €20,000. The authorities have cautioned individuals about the prevalence of rental scams, given that students are currently returning to universities. This type of fraud typically involves a person making a monetary commitment, such as a deposit, for leasing a property, only to discover later that the transaction was a scam.
The Gardaí noted that in July, 12 victims lost a total of €20,746 to such scams. The highest single loss was €3,685 while the lowest was €380. As many as eight victims were tricked using social media or online advertisements or contacts.
Local residents formed the majority of the victims, with ten based in Ireland and losing €15,231. Two victims from outside the country, who were planning to move to Ireland, lost a combined €5,515.
Garda warnings included being cautious of a scammer who claims they cannot physically show the rental property because they are abroad, and demands a deposit before viewing. If the deposit is made, the victim then loses their money. They further advised against handing over cash or making transactions through Revolut or cryptocurrency, urging individuals to opt for traceable and refundable payment methods instead.
The announcement also indicated a decrease in accommodation fraud reports by 11% as of June this year. Only about 30% of victims are Irish, and around one third of all fraud reports related to housing occur during August and September. Young people fall prey to these scams more often, with a third of victims under 25, and 66% under 33.
Gardaí also mentioned suspicious circumstances where websites request that money be sent to an uncommon PayPal address, wired through Western Union, paid via iTunes gift cards, or when long-term rentals are asked to be paid through short-term rental websites, or when transactions are made exclusively in cryptocurrency. They added that these manipulative tactics are usually employed to bypass monitoring and create non-reversible transactions.