Ahead of the upcoming college year, students have been warned about an increase in accommodation fraud.
Gardaí have warned students about a "sharp annual spike" in such fraud, saying that historically, these types of scams take place between August and October, as college students frantically search for houses, apartments, or rooms to rent.
According to the latest figures from the Gardaí, there have been 230 reports of such scams in the first six months of this year, costing victims over €410,000, a rise from last year, which saw 160 reported cases.
Such incidents have included criminals posting fake adverts across established websites like daft.ie or booking.ie, claiming to be landlords or arranging viewings and asking for deposits. The criminals cut off all contact once the payments are sent.
This was claimed by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), who added that they engage with all of the platforms when they hear of false or fake advertisements.
Detective Inspector, Alan Govern of the GNECB, has said that students must remain aware of adverts for cheap accommodation, and if there is a "sense of urgency" from ads calling for money to be transferred instantly.
"Be suspicious of those asking for money through cash, cryptocurrency or non-bank transfers", he said. (Quotes according to RTÉ).
Mr Govern also pointed to agencies like Threshold, who are designed to help students notice such rental scams. He added that colleges can share important advice too.
Rental fraud is when a victim pays money to rent accommodation via a deposit and later discovers that this transaction was fraudulent.
Elsewhere, Gardaí are warning against the treat of criminal networks who target them with the promise of "easy money" to act as money mules, people who receive stolen money or proceeds of crime into their bank account, before transferring it into another account, usually in exchange for money or an expensive gift.
Det Insp Govern said that most people who are exploited in this way are between the ages of 18 and 24 years of age. He said that being a money mule can face up to 14 years in prison.
He stated that it is easy for people to be "tricked" in to these criminal enterprises, as they are led to believe that this is a legitimate offer. He added that criminals are regularly using social media to target teenagers and young adults through messaging or fake job adverts.
Mr Govern urged parents to be aware of the tell tale signs of their children being dragged into such nefarious activities. Such signs include when there is no explanation of their children suddenly having expensive gifts or a change in their behaviour.
