Gardaí have issued a warning about student accommodation fraud ahead of an expected increase in scams as first-year students seek housing and other students return to college.
There was a 22% increase in reports of accommodation fraud in the first half of this year, gardaí said, and that around one third of all such fraud occur during August and September each year.
Garda figures show that 34% of victims of accommodation fraud are aged under 25, while 66% are aged under 33.
Rental fraud occurs when a victim pays money to rent accommodation usually in the form of a deposit and later discovers that the transaction was fraudulent.
Examples include when the person advertising accommodation is out of the country and say they cannot show the property unless a deposit is paid; or the transaction appears normal until the renter finds that the property either does not exist, is already occupied or the keys do not work and the 'landlord' has disappeared.
Gardaí said that 160 cases of accommodation fraud were recorded in the first six months of this year and that €385,000 was lost to accommodation fraud during the first half of this year, compared with €617,000 for all of 2024.
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has advised people to look out for red flags and warned that if the accommodation advertised seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Warning signs include accommodation only being advertised through social media or the person letting the location only communicating through Messenger or WhatsApp.
Other red flags include listing which contain grammar or spelling mistakes or where there are very limited details and a sense of urgency, such as "a one-time offer"; where the landlord is unable to meet at the property and where the property is offered with no questions asked and payment demanded up front.
When making payments, gardaí advise never to hand over cash or make a Revolut payment, but rather pay in a way that is traceable and refundable.
People looking for property are advised to only use recognised letting agencies or directly through the college accommodation portal and to be wary of cloned websites.
The Policy and Communications Manager with the Irish Council for International Students said that while all students and renters are vulnerable to these types of scams, international students are particularly at risk.
"I'm thinking really of those that don't have English as their first language. Many international students come here to study English so they might be in a vulnerable position when it comes to finding accommodation," Brian Hearne said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Hearne cited one Brazilian couple who lost several thousand euro due to a rental scam.
"They and their partner handed over money to a fraudster. The fraudster showed them the property and they were happy with it," he said.
"They were given the keys, they went to move in and then when they showed up at the property there were three or four other couples there waiting to move in at the same time and they all realised they'd been scammed."
Mr Hearne urged prospective renters to inspect the property in person when possible, and inspect the letting agent or landlord.
He said people should always use a secure payment method and request a contract that states the rent, deposit and terms and conditions.
"Very importantly, people need to trust their instincts. There's no such thing as cheap accommodation - if something seems too good to be true then it probably is."
