Reports of accommodation fraud were up by 22 per cent in the first six months of the year, with gardaí now warning students to beware of rental scams, writes Cate McCurry.

This comes after Friday’s Leaving Certificate results and this week’s third-level CAO offers. Accommodation fraud peaks at this time of year, as returning and first-time students attempt to secure college housing.

In the first six months of 2025, reports of accommodation fraud were up by 22 per cent, with approximately 160 cases recorded. Reported losses totalled €385,000, compared with €617,000 for the full year of 2024.

Last year, approximately one third of all accommodation fraud reports here occurred during August and September. The return to college time-frame shows an annual spike in accommodation fraud.

Some 34 per cenr of victims of accommodation fraud were under 25, and 66 per cent of victims are under 33 years old. Around 54 per cent of victims of accommodation fraud are men and 46% are women.

Rental fraud usually happens when a victim pays money to rent accommodation, typically in the form of a deposit, and then discovers the transaction was fraudulent.

It also occurs when the fraudster claims to be out of the country and can’t show the renter the property unless they pay a deposit, which the victim pays and then loses.

It can also happen when the fraudster is living in the property and shows a number of people the property, gets a deposit from several people and then disappears with the money.

The transaction can appear normal until the renter finds that the property does not exist, is already occupied or the keys do not work and the landlord has disappeared.

Reservation fraud occurs when a person pays for a hotel/ guest-house room and discovers that the transaction was fraudulent.

The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) advises that there are a number of red flags, including only communicating via Messenger or WhatsApp; cheap digs; and limited details of the property.