A NUMBER of students looking for accommodation have fallen victim to accommodation scams locally, according to Limerick Gardaí.
As the college term resumes and thousands of students return to the city and county, the numbers of people seeking homes across Limerick has risen. According to Gardaí, this insurgence goes hand-in-hand with criminals aiming take advantage of those desperately searching for a place to live.
Students who are looking for accommodation are advised of some simple steps they can take to ensure they don’t end up handing money over to scammers, and worse, ending up without a place to live during the school term.
If the price seems to good to be true, the advertisement contains grammar or spelling mistakes, or the only form of communication is on social media or WhatsApp, would-be tenants are advised to exercise caution, says Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street Garda Station.
Sgt Leetch says that other red flags include the ‘owner’ of the home claiming that they are away and accommodate viewings, as well requests for payments by wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or iTunes gift card.
The Crime Prevention Officer also had more general safety advice for students to help keep themselves and their belongings safe while embarking on a new semester at college.
Incoming students, especially first year students, are advised to get to know their surroundings and find out about bus timetables, as well as where there is secure parking for cars and bikes on their new college campus.
“College life should be about experiencing new things, but remember when you are going out to make a plan and be streetwise,” Sgt Leetch said.
“It is a good idea to upload emergency contacts onto your phone and activate the ‘find my phone’ feature on your device.”
She also advised students to keep a note of their phone’s IMEI number so that their network provider can lock their phone in the event that it gets lost or stolen.
The IMEI number “means your data or images cannot be accessed and the phone cannot be sold on as it cannot be opened,” Sgt Leetch warned.
