Gardai have been alerted to a particular kind of scam targeting people who are desperate for accommodation.
The cost of living crisis coupled with skyrocketing rents has left thousands of students struggling to find on-campus housing or even digs nearby.
This is costing people their place in college as many are not able to afford to commute every day.
READ MORE: Students searching for accommodation warned of bogus letting agents attempting to scam tenants
As such, the PSRA has advised students to be aware of the risk of bogus letting agents attempting to extract financial payments from prospective tenants.
And now gardai have given a perfect example of one of the scams doing the rounds - with the name Hannah causing a few problems.
A spokesperson for the force attached to the Kilkenny division explained: "Gardai in Kilkenny have been made aware of a Scam where a property has been falsely advertised for rent.
"The person advertising using the name Hannah is looking for 3 months rent up front at a very much below the market price.
"Our advice is:
- NEVER AGREE TO RENT A PROPERTY THROUGH WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA. YOU NEED TO VISIT THE PROPERTY
- NEVER HAND OVER CASH AS IT IS UNTRACEABLE
- NEVER TRANSFER FUNDS THROUGH ELECTRONIC TRANSFER SERVICES
- UNTIL YOU ARE FULLY SATISFIED WITH THE PROPERTY AND THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE OWNER
- REMEMBER: GREAT PRICE + GREAT PICTURES = TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!"
The PSRA has previously received reports of fake letting agents targeting students at this time of year.
Bogus agents often set up online and may purport to hold a PSRA licence.
The CEO of the PSRA, Ms Maeve Hogan, said: "Students starting and returning to college need to be vigilant of bogus letting agents when searching for accommodation.
"A key action that students should take to help safeguard themselves against rental scams is to check that the letting agent they are using is licensed. Using a licensed agent provides consumer protection, and if something does go wrong, a client may be entitled to compensation from the PSRA compensation fund."
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