German Student Scammed Out Of €1,000 With Fake Lease For Real Maynooth Home

A young German student arrived in Maynooth over the weekend, believing she had secured a month-long rental at a local residence.

A concerning case of online accommodation fraud has emerged, involving the unauthorised use of a legitimate Kildare address and identity details.

A young German student arrived in Maynooth over the weekend, believing she had secured a month-long rental at a local residence. 

She was accompanied by her mother. 

The address she was given - complete with a signed contract using the homeowner’s name - turned out to be entirely bogus. 

The scam had involved a convincing video of an apartment, with blinds drawn to conceal its true location.

It is understood that scammers made initial contact with the student via a platform hosted by Maynooth University but the student booked the accommodation elsewhere. 

A spokesperson for Maynooth University said: "Following checks, we can confirm that the fake advert for accommodation is not or has not been advertised on MaynoothStudentpad. Maynooth University is reaching out to the student affected to offer support."

The student had transferred over €1,000 to the scammers before discovering the deception. 

She knocked on the actual homeowner’s door on arrival and was met with confusion and concern. 

"She showed me the video she had been sent of her room. It was an apartment with all blinds in the video down, obviously hiding the location," the homeowner said.

Gardaí were contacted.

Kfm understands that because the fraud originated in Germany, the student has been advised to make a formal complaint there. 

In the meantime, the student has secured accommodation for the academic year. 

Offers of temporary housing from members of the community were also shared privately.

The Maynooth Student Pad website advises students to be scam aware.

According to a disclaimer on the website, "Maynooth University offers the Maynooth Student pad Service site in good faith and is intended for general information purposes and should not be relied upon as the basis for making any decision. It is offered as a courtesy to both students and local landlords."

It adds: "Please be aware that the properties have not been inspected by the University and Maynooth University does not carry out Garda vetting on prospective landlords. You should note, we do not retain information on the performance of these accommodations year to year."

"It is the responsibility of each student and their parents/guardians to check the property and satisfy themselves that they are comfortable with the accommodation arrangements and the individuals involved before signing any agreement."