The Department of Housing has issued a fraud warning for scammers using false property listings and tenancy agreements to get money and information.
There have been a number of property listings reported, where scammers send out false documents to applicants.
These request the completion of ‘Rental Application’ form/Residential Tenancy Agreement that bear what appears to be a departmental letterhead and logo, and a fake gov.ie email address.
The forms seek personal information for registration, and may also ask a tenant give a deposit and the first month’s rent to ‘hold’ the unit.
The Department of Housing has emphasised that it does not engage with registrations for private properties, and therefore does not ask members of the public to provide personal information as requested in these advertisements.
“This ‘Rental Application’ form/Residential Tenancy Agreement purporting to be issued with a department/gov.ie logo and a gov.ie email address is fraudulent and we strongly advise prospective renters that it should not be completed.”
“If an individual responds to a private rental advertisement and receives forms purporting to be from the Department of Housing in return, they should not engage further with the vendor.”
“Anyone who believes they have mistakenly provided personal information or paid a deposit in response to these types of fraudulent advertisements and false rental applications / tenancy agreements calls should immediately alert An Garda Síochána.”
