In 2021, Amy Gibbons and her two friends were relieved to find a suitable property in Galway within budget. They messaged the advertiser on a local property website and were encouraged to hear that the property was still available.
Unfortunately, their delight was short lived it was just 48 hours later when they realised that they had fallen victim to an elaborate scam – €2,500 transferred to secure a property which wasn’t actually for let.
So what exactly happened…
The initial enquiry on a reputable property website progressed to a fast-paced whatsapp conversation. They were asked for details of where they worked, proof of earnings and ID – all things which are commonly asked of prospective tenants.
The landlord identifying himself as “Lauren O’Sullivan” explained that while he owned the house in Galway, he could not show it to them in person because he was abroad and could not travel to Ireland as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.
“He said that to make the transaction more secure for them and us, we could carry out the transaction on Airbnb”. Amy was familiar and comfortable with this approach as she had done long term rentals on Airbnb before – she thought it was fine and why wouldn’t she considering Airbnb is such a reputable platform with various protections and safeguards in place.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Amy stated that “The landlord sent a link through WhatsApp and gave us 24 hours to pay the deposit. They kept saying ‘you need to do it now’ but we didn’t think much of him pressing for time, properties are hard to get, so that was fine.” Sounds like quite a lot of subtle or not so subtle pressure.
Amy, naturally keen on securing the property, followed the link and reserved the property as instructed. She then received a booking form and details of the bank account to send the money to. She and her friends sent a total of €2,656.
Starting to get messy….
Amy noted “Then we got a message saying Airbnb had changed the Iban by mistake and we would need to send the money again. I said no as it was getting too messy. I said we would not resend the money until the original money was refunded. That is when the alarm bells started ringing.”
Not done yet, the scammer sent her a link to a bogus site which had been dressed up to look like Airbnb. “We were trying not to believe we had been scammed but the person on the chat was saying exactly the same thing as the landlord and their English wasn’t great,” she continues.
After discovering the scam, they made contact with Airbnb who confirmed that it was a fake site and advised that they contact the bank right away. The bank advised in turn to contact the local police.
Amy decided to visit the house in question out of curiosity. A lady answered the door, she had lived there for 2 years and had no idea what the girls were talking about.
Amy also Googled the name and number used by the scam artist which revealed that her friends were not the only people duped by the scam.
Frustrating in our opinion, that this scammer’s details had been revealed online yet they could continue to operate. Another sorry tale of a rental scam, that perhaps, with some coordination and supports in place, could have been avoided.
Lessons learned and prevention tips
Were there red flags and how could one avoid a similar rent scam in the future?
Lessons Learned
- Don’t jump between platforms: Notice how Amy started on one classified advert site, then communicated via whatsapp and was finally directed to a fake Airbnb account? Whatsapp is like the wild west as it’s encrypted so be wary if the advertiser is keen to pick up the conversation there.
- Scammers are always in a hurry: Amy handed over €2,500 within 48 hours of first contact which is simply too fast.
- Repeat payment request: This was the red flag that caught Amy’s attention but many more may have missed it. At this stage you’ve decided in your own mind that this is legitimate and you’re willing to keep going. You’re also possibly a little jaded and open to doing what you think might just get this done.
- • Bad grammar or poor English: bad grammar on it’s own isn’t an issue but if you put it in context, it could be a significant red flag. Here for example, the fraudster claimed to be a local Galway woman called Laurent O’Sullivan. You would expect a certain level of written English so always worth keeping a closer eye on things if their “English isn’t great” as Amy said herself.
Hindsight is a great thing and the red flags in this case may appear to be obvious now, however bear in mind that poor decisions can be made in haste and rent scams are a direct consequence. Always pause for thought if you are unsure about something or have a feeling that it’s not right.
Need additional support?
Are you or your organisation attempting to eradicate online rental scams in your community? If so, contact us today to learn how we can help. We offer a suite of services, tailored to our partners’ needs and designed specifically to eradicate scams and secure online platforms – see some of our services below:
- Red flag detection – Our systems detect a range of red flags listed above.
- Landlord and renter identity verification – we can verify landlord and renter identity using a blend of biometric, document & database checks.
- Secure payments – we secure payments for landlords and renters as well as holding pre let rental payments and deposits in Escrow.
x231u1
1nvh5q
1d763d
n0yvfa
4dqah7
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Poznaj legalny salon gier prowadzoną przez Totalizator — poczatkowy bonus aż do 13 750 zł! Graj legalnie z licencją Totalizatora Sportowego — pobierz aplikację i aktywuj pakiet powitalny! Salon Gier na Automatach oferuje paczę startową z dopłatą i spinami — pod nadzorem urzędu. Zaufany operator — Salon Gier na Automatach zapewnia ochronę środków i turnieje slotowe. Chcesz grać w automaty? Platforma Totalizatora Sportowego daje Ci bonus do 13 750 zł — zarejestruj się i zacznij! Zaufaj oficjalnemu operatorowi — Salon Gier na Automatach oferuje poczatkowe środki bonusowe i 24/7 wsparcie. Zacznij grę bezpiecznie — zainstaluj teraz i aktywuj spiny!
mapleprimes.com
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
Kv99casino, had a bit of a session last week. UI’s pretty clean and the payouts were prompt. No complaints from me, really. Take a look: kv99casino
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
eacһ time i used to read smaller articles which as wel clear
their motive, and that is alsⲟ happening with this article whihh I am readikng at this
time.
Alsо visit my sіte; Mahalia
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me. https://accounts.binance.info/register-person?ref=IHJUI7TF
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having a
tough time locating it but, I’d like to send you an email.
I’ve got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing.
Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it improve over time.
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but
I find this matter to be really something that I think
I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for me.
I’m looking forward for your next post, I will
try to get the hang of it!
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re utilizing?
I’m having some small security problems with my latest website and
I would like to find something more safeguarded. Do you have any recommendations?
Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist
with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog
to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains.
If you know of any please share. Thanks!
This is my first tіme go to see at here and i am truly
happy to read aⅼl at singlee place.
my page; Lux88
I blog quite often and I seriously thank you for your information.
Your article has really peaked my interest.
I’m going to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week.
I opted in for your RSS feed too.
Right here is the right blog for anyone who wishes to
find out about this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally
would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that’s been discussed for a long time.
Excellent stuff, just excellent!
Youᥙr styyle is very unique in comparison to other folks I have rewad stuff
from. Many thamks for posting when you have the opportunity, Gueѕs
I will just bookmark this pаge.
Feel free to sսrf to my web site :: Rgo365
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me. https://accounts.binance.com/zh-TC/register-person?ref=DCKLL1YD
Hi there to every body, it’s my first go to see of this website; this website carries
amazing and in fact excellent stuff in favor of visitors.
hі!,I really like your writing very so much!
percеntage wee be in contact extra about your post on AOL?
I requiｒe a ѕpecіalist in this ɑreа t᧐ ｒesolve my problem.
Maybe that’s you! Having a look forward to peer you.
Here is my web ѕite … Loretta
I аm regular reader, how аrre you everybody? This article posted at
this web site is rеally fastidious.
Feel free to surf to mʏ site; Naga777
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to get that
“perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appearance.
I must say that you’ve done a amazing job with this.
Additionally, the blog loads super quick for me on Internet explorer.
Superb Blog!
It’s wonderful that you are getting thoughts from this piece
of writing as well as from our discussion made at this place.