Clare parents and students warned over rental scams as CAO offers come out

As students across Ireland receive their CAO offers this Wednesday, gardaí are warning students and their parents to remain vigilant against rental scams.

Examples of rental fraud include when the fraudster claims to be out of the country and cannot show the renter the property unless they pay a deposit, or when the transaction appears normal until the renter finds that the property doesn’t exist, is already occupied or the keys do not work and the "landlord" has disappeared.

Another commom fraud is when the fraudster is living in the property and shows a number of people the property, gets a deposit from several people and then disappears with the money.

There are a number of red flags or warning signs that parents and students should heed, including;

• The property is only advertised through social media 
• The landlord is unable to meet up to show you the property in person
• When communication is only through text / WhatsApp or other social media platforms
• When the property is offered with no questions asked and payment demanded immediately before signing the lease
• When you are asked to pay cash, cryptocurrency or money via a non-bank transfer, such as wire transfer
• Where the bank account you are asked to send the money to is in a different country. Remember, the first two letters in the IBAN are IE, if these are different it means that the money is leaving the country.

Gardaí are advising that you should always do your own research on the advertisement and the property, and only use recognised letting agencies or deal with people who are bona fide and trusted i.e., the college or student unions.

Never agree to rent a property without first having the opportunity to view it, and you should ensure that the keys work and you have proper contact details for the landlord or agent.

Ideally, meet with the landlord for a tour of the accommodation. If this is not possible for some reason (this reason should be on your part, the landlord has no excuse), ask as many verifiable questions as possible such as: What bus routes are nearby? What local facilities are there (supermarkets etc.)?

Ask for the exact address and verify the existence of the property. Check Google maps to see that the property is the same as that advertised, and reverse image search any posted images to see if they appear elsewhere on the internet.

If you have decided to take up an offer of accomodation, do not hand over cash or make a Revolut payment or send money to an account or pay by cryptocurrency - pay in a way that is traceable and/or refundable.

Insist upon a proper receipt and a tenancy agreement - get someone to look at it if you are unfamiliar with tenancy agreements.

Don’t enter into off-site communications for a lower cash price, never give personal, financial or security information to persons who are unknown to you, and never transfer money direct, pay cash, iTunes vouchers or pay into cryptocurrency wallets.

If you have been a victim of rental fruad, report it to Gardaí and your bank and ask your bank to do a recall as soon as possible.