2024 Scamwatch launched as academic year to begin

Students are being urged to carry out thorough checks before paying deposits for private rental accommodation, amid growing warnings of scams from gardaí, as a new academic year commences in the coming weeks.

The call came from national housing charity Threshold as it partnered with the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) and the Union of Students Ireland (USI) as part of its annual Scamwatch campaign to raise awareness around ever-more elaborate fraudulent scams.

Threshold is urging incoming students to reach out if they come across a suspicious advert as they look for a home, in a competitive rental market, for the upcoming academic year.

More than 250,000 students are expected to return to college this year, with more than 100,000 living in the private rental market, as previously indicated by 2023 figures. However, the limited supply - or prohibitive cost - of purpose-built student accommodation means many students must look elsewhere for available properties, and this can result in some falling victim to sophisticated scams.

Threshold’s Campaigns Officer Cat Clark said: “We continue to see students come to us with queries relating to scams, and thankfully, our advisors have managed to prevent a number of clients avoid scams, saving them significant financial loss. Our dedicated webpage is a useful resource at threshold.ie.

“We do offer a number of tips that can help students and other prospective renters avoid scams, but the general rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“If anyone is struggling with a potential scam, we would urge them to contact us via our website, webchat, or freephone on 1800-454454,” she concluded.

Those behind the campaign have said international students are particularly vulnerable.

Laura Harmon, Executive Director said the organisation is regularly contacted by international students seeking information and advice, and in many cases, English is not their first language.

“Due to this language barrier, our research has found that more than one in four international students use group chats and social media pages to find accommodation, where scams are particularly prevalent and as a result, are more likely to fall victim to an accommodation scam.”

The Cork city councillor added: “We carried out a survey with 819 participants late last year that found 13% of these had been the victim of an accommodation scam, but only 11% of this cohort reported the crime to authorities.

“We would urge students who are coming to Ireland for the first time to contact Threshold for support if they are unsure about a property,” she concluded.

Shortage and high cost of accommodation is making some students an easy target with USI Vice President for Welfare, Niamh Doherty adding that this can be a really difficult time for students who don’t yet have a room for the new academic year.

She said: “We know it can be especially hard for first years and international students, who don’t have as much time to get their accommodation sorted. It is even harder when there is such a shortage of accommodation, and everything is so expensive.”

She added: “USI advises everyone looking for student accommodation to look at the dedicated Threshold webpage and to reach out to USI or your local Students’ Union, if you need help or support on this or any issue.”

Andrew Clinton, Threshold Advisor said: “We can check if it is currently tenanted by searching the Residential Tenancies Board register of tenancies as well as make an assessment based on the details a student provides, if they contact us.

“We can advise them on what further information is required to check legitimacy and if this is not forthcoming, there is usually an untoward reason for that.”

Threshold’s helpline is open Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm at 1800-454454, with webchat at threshold.ie/get-help for any renter in need of advice or support.