College students are being warned about the prevalence of rental scams ahead of their return to campus next month.
Housing charity Threshold has joined the Irish Council for International Students and the Union of Students in Ireland for what they call "The Scamwatch campaign".
The strategy highlights the 'dos and don'ts' of finding accommodation, where to get advice about tenancy rights in the private sector and safeguards to avoid scams.
Students are targeted by scams where people pose as landlords offering accommodation that may be misleading or that does not exist.
False websites are becoming increasingly common, as well as websites that appear as replicas of real letting platforms.
Scammers are also using social media to target students.
The Irish Council for International Students said that students coming from abroad are often more vulnerable to scams, with a survey last year finding that almost one in seven international students had fallen victim to such a scam.
There has been a 65% increase in accommodation scams in the last four years, according to gardaí.
Laura Harmon, Executive Director of the Irish Council for International Students, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that international students who come to Ireland to study have been particularly affected.
She added that not having English as a first language can be a barrier when searching, and that the wider housing problem is also having an impact.
Ms Harmon said: "There are scammers out there trying to take advantage of people. Our advice is to view the property in person, get the agent's ID and sign a written contract in the presence of another person."
She said that online scams can be sophisticated and highly manipulative, and that anyone who has been affected should always report it to authorities.
The group has been engaging with international offices of colleges.
"The embassies have been warning people coming to Ireland about the accommodation situation and scams. People are becoming aware," said Ms Harmon.
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She added that many more young people will be worrying about finding somewhere to live when the Leaving Certificate results come out on 25 August.
"That shouldn't be the key worry for people and there needs to be a solution, it’s a supply and demand situation, we need more purpose student accommodation built so we can meet that demand," she said.
Threshold has released advice on its website and also operates a helpline from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 9pm.
The charity has advised viewing a property in person, and being aware of offers that sound suspicious such as exceptionally low rent, a landlord living abroad or the requesting of money to a foreign bank account.
The Union of Students in Ireland urged students to contact it for help and said any victims of scams should report this to gardaí.
Sinn Féin's higher and further education spokesperson Mairéad Farrell said she is "deeply concerned" by the latest reports and urged the Government to "act urgently to protect students and tackle the underlying issues around the lack of housing supply".
She added: "This is happening because the Government has failed to take action and address the housing crisis despite clear and repeated warnings from students and people across the further and higher education sector.
"I am deeply concerned by reports of students being scammed hundreds and even thousands of euros when they attempt to secure accommodation.
"Government must act urgently to protect students and tackle the underlying issues around the lack of housing supply.
"I am concerned that international students are particularly vulnerable to these scams, as they may lack local knowledge to determine whether a rental advert is authentic or not."
