1) Happy Easter everybody! Most of the shops and shopping complexes in Dublin were closed today, and I forgot about that when I went to do my grocery shopping. And what better way to spend a holiday than by studying, right? Thankfully, the library was still operating, with usual opening and closing hours.
2) Today I'll share with you my experience with scammers. So I am in the process of booking an apartment for when my lease ends this summer. Most students use daft.ie for this purpose, and I used it too. One particular ad caught my attention, a €520/mth apartment for rent, in Dublin 2! Now the saying goes, if it's too good to be true, it probably is. But in this case, it wasn't absurdly cheap; just really cheap and good location.
3) So I messaged the owner, and I didn't get a reply for two days. Contrary to what you may think, I actually thought it was NOT a scam because they didn't reply instantly - usually scammers would reply you straight away since they want the money ASAP. But this was different, or so I thought. Fast forward till today, and I received an email apologising for the late reply, plus they shared some of their personal details with me.
4) At this point, I already had my reservations. Firstly, the original ad had been removed from daft.ie. Secondly, some sections of the email had perfect English while others were mediocre, with the ending asking me "not to let them down". Thirdly, they were asking me for my particulars, including a photo if I had one! All in the name of issuing a receipt and drafting out a lease, apparently. More like trying to identify me so you can target my friends too, I say.
5) Now all the warning bells were ringing. I continued digging deeper. I searched the name of the fool who claimed to be working as a doctor at a hospital. At first, I was a bit stumbled when the name and hospital matched, but it didn't take long to figure out they could just use the identity of someone else. Then I took paragraphs of the contents of the email and searched on the web. Turns out the content was from an Airbnb website, which explains where the perfect English came from.
6) So that was that. I never replied to the email, and that's the end of the matter. The moral of the story: if it's too good to be true, it usually is. And always double and triple check. Never give your personal details to anyone. EVER.
7) And to the scammer if you somehow managed to track my blog: People like you are the reason parents who send their children overseas to study have nightmares. You prey on gullible students, who have little to no experience dealing with situations like this; you are a cancer to society, and you take away whatever little hope we have left for humanity. All I know is retribution awaits, and it will come, especially when you least expect it. I won't wish it upon you, for that is sinful, but if and when it comes, you shan't have my sympathy.
8) That's the end of my little experience. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time it has happened. A couple of weeks earlier, my friend had a similar experience, and he was fortunate to identify the scammer before any sort of deal could be made. So to all future students coming to Dublin to study, I implore you to be careful, and be weary of such advertisements online. Take care, and have a great holiday, cheers! (EXCEPT MR./MRS./MS. SCAMMER ^^)
Flowers calm me down when I'm upset ^^
*Someone* decided they'd just make off with my leg XD
(10/10 for effort, RIP grammar)
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