Gardaí in Clare are issuing advice to the public following a recent incident of accommodation Fraud.
Crime Prevention Officer for Clare Sergeant Triona Brooks confirmed: “We had a report from a lady in Shannon during the week that she had seen a seasonal rental property on line. She made contact with the agent through What’s App and made a substantial payment for a deposit on this property into a French bank account.
Once the payment had gone through she could not make any more contact with the agent. She reported this to her bank but to date no refund has been made.”
Sergeant Brooks offered the following advice…
Don’t be tricked into paying a deposit for a property that does not exist or has already been rented, often to multiple people.
Do your homework – look at the average rent price in the area and if the rent is unusually low and it seems too good to be true it usually is.
Use online maps to double check that the property being advertised actually exists and is at the stated address.
Keep copies of all correspondence between yourself and the advertiser, including bank details and the advertisement itself.
Use legitimate well-known rental agencies where possible and don’t hand over any money until you have seen the property and are happy with its condition. Once satisfied use a cheque or bank draft to pay the deposit.
Don’t make any payments until you have been given the keys and signed the rental contract. Always check that the keys fit in the lock.
Don’t transfer money unless you have carried out all the relevant checks and you are absolutely sure that the listing is genuine.
Don’t be embarrassed if you have been scammed Report it to your local Garda Station and contact your bank.