A NUMBER of overseas students planning to study in Cork have been caught out by scammers recently.
The tricksters, who are preying on those panicking over scarce accommodation, made unsolicited contact pretending to have rooms to offer.
University College Cork Students’ Union (UCCSU) has heard from around 30 people who were contacted by an individual or group of scammers whose scheme sounded very similar in all cases.
At least two students have been caught out by the scam to date, paying the scammers what they thought were deposits for accommodation.
The supposed landlords contacted the students by email and sent them details of apartments they say they have to rent in the area.
It is unclear how their contact details have been obtained but UCCSU welfare officer, Rory O’Donnell, said they may have all been on accommodation sites or online forums discussing their searches.
“It’s been highlighted to me in the last three weeks, and there are definitely two cases where a deposit was paid, and possibly one other, all of them international students,” he said.
He has had preliminary contact with gardaí about the scam, in which pictures of properties have been provided. In some cases, the scammers even agreed to discuss details on Skype conversations.
“Their side was poorly lit, and the calls didn’t last long because the connection was poor. One person said they were told the place was ‘very close to the Metro’, which gave away that it was a scam,” he said.
Mr O’Donnell said it is a basic rule of any transaction to visit any potential living space before making any financial agreement, but acknowledged the pressure to find accommodation is huge.“I’m looking into a number of cases, the majority of them are international students who seem to have been caught,” he said.
“They agreed to pay a deposit but had only seen pictures of the places. It is hugely important to go and physically see the place in person before paying money for a deposit.”
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