Accommodation scams?

I know this probably belongs in Accommodation but I thought more people would see it here. Has anyone ever had a problem with getting a place in Dublin and paying the deposit? My flatshare fell through so I looked for accommodation on Daft to share with randomers. I found a nice place sharing with one girl, and liked it and said I'd take it. She said she'd prefer to have the deposit and monthly rent transferred into her back account rather than a cheque which I said was fine. I was telling my dad about it and he said how did I know it was all fine, it could be a scam, she could take my deposit and leave the flat. I hadn't considered that as I've taken flats abroad before and it's been fine and I've never seen warnings about this or heard any stories.

There are a couple of things that seem slightly strange when I think about it. I said I'd need the internet and she said she had ordered it. She's been in the flat a few years so I wondered why she hadn't got it before. Basically any time I asked for something (ntl, toaster, a mirror for the room etc) she said 'oh no problem, I can put that in', like it seemed a bit too easy. She even offered to lower the rent a bit. She's foreign and frequently flies back to her home country apparently, I did wonder how she could afford it as well as running a car. Then again I am used to living with students who are stingy and make a big deal out of buying a new mug for the kitchen, so maybe it's normal for professionals? Thought it was a bit strange she was able to show me the place on Thursday afternoon since she says she works full time but maybe she took a day off to show the place.

I didn't get any funny vibes from her or anything in person, apart from her willingness to buy whatever I asked for, (!) it was just when my dad said that, I got paranoid.

Serpentine

Thankfully a scam hasnt happened to me but my best friend got scammed out of quite a lot of money in his first time in Dublin. Just make sure you get all her details & when she hands over the key to you I'd advise you to check the lock before you leave. Preferably get receipts of some kind for your payment.Also, I'd be suspicious if shes expecting a huge amount of money upfront, I'm not sure if this has happened to you but check around to see what deposit rates are incase you get ripped off.
You probably are worried over nothing (hopefully!)her eagerness is probably due to her need to get someone else to share the bills & just because she says theres no problem getting all you ask for does not mean shes necessarily gonna run out & get it, shes just selling it to you in my book! Relax, I don't think you have cause for concern but at the same time keep your eyes/ears open!

What happened to your friend?

The deposit is a month's rent, which is what I've always paid in the past before I moved in just to confirm I was taking the room and wasn't going to back out at the last minute.

I've her full name, phone number, bank account details, which I suppose could be all fake, but it seems a lot of trouble to go to to scam someone. I'm sure you need ID to open a bank account so if it were a scam it should be traceable. I'd already thought about checking the lock before I left under the pretence of checking it wasn't stiff or hard to open. She said she'd leave the key with a neighbour if I wanted to get it in the morning, which means I could check it all I wanted without her even being there. Maybe she isn't intending to get any of that stuff (mirror etc) but she seemed serious about it, asking me where she could order it etc. She did put down the rent a bit for me. The only reason I'm suspicious is she seemed very friendly but maybe she's just a nice person and wants someone to move in asap. I'm always friendly when I'm showing people rooms

scojones

Moved from After Hours.

great thanks, loads of people are going to see it here.

godtabh

Terrence Kind Peanut wrote:

great thanks, loads of people are going to see it here.

When people have a question about Accommodation / Property it usally goes into Accommodation / Property .

Only thing about having her bank a/c details is that the bank wont release name/address to you.

There was a scam on boards about tickets and when the person looking for his money back the bank wouldnt give him any details

Really? What if the police were involved in a case of fraud? The bank still is not allowed to give out info? :eek:

godtabh

Terrence Kind Peanut wrote:

Really? What if the police were involved in a case of fraud? The bank still is not allowed to give out info? :eek:

Cant find the thread but if you look in feedback i think its there some where.

The gardai werent interested as the amount taken wasnt large. Maybe if it was a couple of thousand they might be able to do something or have more interest in it

Sam Vimes

Terrence Kind Peanut wrote:

great thanks, loads of people are going to see it here.

from the after hours charter:

Larger audience
- Posting on AH simply "to reach a larger audience" may result in a ban. The thread will be moved/deleted. If your thread is more suited to another board then please post it there. After Hours is to discuss non-specific topics and issues in a general way. If you have a serious Political or News post, they should be posted on their specific forums.

if we were all to post in AH to get a larger audience boards may as well shut down every forum except AH

aniascor

She is probably just trying to protect herself by looking for the money transfer instead of the cheque (in case it bounces). I've always insisted on transferring money to the landlord's account rather than paying by cash, because I think it's when you pay with cash that the real scams happen.

Only thing here that sounds strange to me is that she is asking you to pay it into her account rather than the landlord's account. I would insist on getting a receipt/lease/rent book from the actual landlord, and insist on getting all the landlord's details (for tax purposes) before handing over any money.

She is the one on the lease so she is dealing with the landlord and I'm paying her. I know that also has potential to be dodgy as this way I'm more or less a guest/lodger she can throw out whenever she wants, right? Is it legal just to pay her instead of the landlord?

I understand Commander Vimes, but using that logic there are at least 10 posts a day on AH that could be placed elsewhere. I've recently seen topics about Aer Lingus (should be in Travel), teaching English abroad (travel or education) the Leaving Cert (why not education?) and many, many political and news threads. I understood that these threads were left in AH because the posters wanted to reach a broader spectrum of people with a general-ish post, rather than asking something specific.

godtabh

Terrence Kind Peanut wrote:

I understand Commander Vimes, but using that logic there are at least 10 posts a day on AH that could be placed elsewhere. I've recently seen topics about Aer Lingus (should be in Travel), teaching English abroad (travel or education) the Leaving Cert (why not education?) and many, many political and news threads. I understood that these threads were left in AH because the posters wanted to reach a broader spectrum of people with a general-ish post, rather than asking something specific.

Just because they are doing it doesnt mean its right to do it.

Your getting good answers here so I'd be happy with that

BC

A few months ago there was a scam in Dublin whereby some guy was taking deposits off people and running off with the money. It was all over the newspapers. Daft produced some advice on what to check before you hand over your cash so it might be worth checking out the discussion boards there to see what you can find.

godtabh

BC wrote:

A few months ago there was a scam in Dublin whereby some guy was taking deposits off people and running off with the money. It was all over the newspapers. Daft produced some advice on what to check before you hand over your cash so it might be worth checking out the discussion boards there to see what you can find.

I remember that. DId they ever catch him?

Maybe it would be worthwhile adding this to The Boards.ie Quick and Dirty Renting Guide so that people can check it out.

Not a renter so didnt check to see if its already there