Kildare Gardaí warn about dangers of "accommodation fraud"

An Garda Síochána is warning people to be extra vigilant when looking for accommodation, particularly now at a time when society and foreign travel has opened up again.

Gardaí said there are two types of accommodation fraud?

Long-term rentals:

In this case, fraudsters target people who are often under pressure because they need to find accommodation in a particular area or within a specific budget and/or timeframe. Targets are usually under 25 and students who are seeking rentals at a time when demand for properties is high. The situation can be made even worse if the student is a foreign national; they may already be paying high rates for temporary accommodation or they could have arranged everything online, playing directly into the hands of the fraudsters.

Short-term rentals:

In this case, the targets are generally middle-aged and the rental scams involve holiday rentals and these are likely to become more prevalent in the months ahead with foreign travel opening up again. In the majority of these cases, the victim will have spotted an advert on social media and will have communicated with the fraudster only via social media/WhatsApp.

Red flags for accommodation fraud

• The rent seems too good to be true

• The listing contains grammar or spelling mistakes and is on social media

• All communication is only via WhatsApp or social media

• The landlord says they are away and can’t meet you to show you the accommodation

• Payment is requested immediately before signing a lease

• Payment is requested in cash/PayPal/wire transfer/iTunes gift cards/ cryptocurrency

• The account to pay into is in a different country.

Avoid accommodation fraud

• Only use recognised letting agencies; websites can be cloned too so check the URL to ensure it’s a real website

• Be wary of social media adverts or landlords who will only communicate via social media

• Make sure the property exists and ask questions about the property - disengage immediately if the responses are vague

• Only use trusted money transfer systems such as credit cards. NEVER transfer money using methods that can’t be reversed (e.g., cash, direct bank transfers, cryptocurrency, PayPal, wire (e.g., Western Union), iTunes gift cards, etc.)

• Do a landlord check through the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) website

• Check the IBAN of the landlord’s account (e.g., on https://www.iban.com/iban-checker) to make sure it’s not in a different country

• If booking a holiday rental, use a booking agent or hotel website directly or make sure any third-party websites are secure.