Fraudsters target Facebook page helping people to find accommodation in Limerick

SCAMMERS are targetting a Facebook group which is helping people coming to Limerick to find accommodation.

As third level colleges return following the summer holidays, there's a desperate scramble to find a place to stay for many people.

And as a result of this, the 'Rent in Limerick' Facebook has seen a spike in activity with 1,200 requests from people to either request accommodation or advertise a space to stay in just a month.

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But the group's popularity - almost 30,000 members - has led to some people trying to profit from people in great need of putting a roof over their head, and potentially conning them out of thousands of euro.

"The amount of fake pages that I get requests from is phenomenal," said Sri Dantu, who founded the group six years ago. "The amount of fake profiles on Facebook is unimaginable," she added.

Scammers may often write to a would-be tenant asking them to wire money to them before a key to the property is even issues.

One contributor to the Rent in Limerick group wrote: "If they genuinely seem desperate for you to rent with them or trust them, it's a warning sign. Let's be honest, with this housing crisis, landlords are not desperate as they have thousands of applications."

Often-times, they might also quote a high rate and show a nice house or apartment in the pictures - but upon arriving at the actual address, the accommodation is of much lower quality, Sri said.

Before anyone can post to the Rent in Limerick page, it needs to be approved by a moderator to ensure there are no issues around the post or the sender.

Of the 1,200 requests he has received, Sri revealed he's had to prevent almost half (530) from going live on his group  - as well as blocking a number of users.

"But I cannot go through 1,200 profiles individually and check each one. There are cases where one or two might slip through," he conceded.

"In some cases, it's very hard because the profiles look very genuine. It looks like they are genuine people - but they [the profiles] are often just bought, and their friends are often not real people."

The language barrier can also be a huge issue, he adds, saying: "Nowadays we get a lot of students from South America who come to Limerick to study English. They often fall for these scammers."

"It's sad to see. From our side, and from the page, all I can do is give as much information as possible," he said.
To this end, Sri has a notice placed prominently on the front page of the group warning people of some of the tricks scammers use.

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Admitting scammers are becoming more "intelligent" in their approach, he says there are other tell-tale signs to watch out for.

For example, sometimes the plug sockets on the wall are not ones which fit the traditional Irish three-pin.

He's called for government and third level colleges to run awareness campaigns to help people not to be taken in. "A cheat sheet on how to avoid scammers," he suggested.

"If you have friends, colleagues or anyone you know coming into the country, make them aware this is ongoing. Make them aware how to avoid scammers, and be intelligent about certain things. If you know people who do not speak English, please help them," Sri appealed.

If you think you have fallen victim to a scammer, please telephone Henry Street garda station at 061-212400.