YOUTH MAGAZINE
CON ARTISTS TARGET STUDENTS IN RENT SCAM
Con artists posing as landlords are targeting vulnerable students as they search for accommodation in the capital. International students have been cheated out of thousands of euro in a scam where a landlord is claiming to be renting an apartment out to studentsonly for the students to discover that the property is already occupied and owned by somebody else. This has caused outrage and great anxiety for students that are just entering third-level education and seeking accommodation.
Similar scams have been discovered throughout the county in other cities such as Cork and Galway. According to the Union of Students in Ireland, hundreds of Dublin students who started college two weeks ago are still unable to find accommodation, with many forced to sleep on couches or stay with relatives for the time being,until they can find somewhere suitable to live. Many students are so desperate for accommodation that they are left with no option but to place deposits on properties as soon as they become available.
One student told the Irish Independent how two people involved in the scam in Dublin tried to extort money from her after she replied to an advert on Facebook. Claire Varini (20), from Belfast, is studying French and Film in Trinity College.”I saw an apartment on Facebook and it looked really, really good.” “It had double rooms, was very central and it was €500 per month. I asked if the room would still be there by the end of the week and she (the agent) said she didn’t know because sometimes people sign leases without coming to view.” The lack of answers made Claire suspicious and after asking some questions, she was told she was not speaking to the landlord but a woman acting on his behalf.
Claire was then given a UKbased phone number for the landlord, but he refused to take her calls. Both the agent and the landlord refused to speak to the Irish Independent when contacted. Claire called to the apartment with her boyfriend to see if it was available for viewing, but discovered that there was already a long-term occupant at the property who was reluctant to answer the door. She said that she did not want to answer because she had so many people coming asking her the same thing. People had come to her after spending over €700 on deposits. They came with suitcases and everything. This ordeal has left Claire angry and shaken, and other students havelike-wise been subjected to this scam.
Shortage Gardai said that they are investigating a number of incidents of alleged fraud against students in Dublin.They advised students to always view a property before passing any money over to any person alleging to be the owner of the property. However, many of those targeted were international students who would not have been able to view the property in advance. Union of Students in Ireland Welfare Officer Greg O’Donoghue said that the problem is not being helped by Dublin’s housing shortage. The Irish Independent
Students to get points for fail grade in Leaving Cert revamp
Leaving Certificate students will earn points for getting between 30 and 39pc in higher level papers under a new wave of reforms being discussed by the universities. Radical proposals would bring an end to the days when a mark below 40pc was a fail. A widening of the gap between points awarded for grades achieved at higher and ordinary level is also being considered as a means of rewarding the greater effort of those who study for honours.
And students will earn CAO bonus points for subjects that are directly relevant to their college course, a change that would discourage pupils from taking subjects considered better options for achieving top marks. The proposals, which have been drafted by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) Task Group on Reform of University Selection and Entry, are part of a wider movement aimed at taking the heat out of the points race. The new movement will involve a reduction in the number of ABC/123-style grading bands from 14 at both higher and ordinary level to eight at each, and greater use of broader entry routes to university to allow students to put off specialisation for a year or two.
The proposed new grading system would involve a H1-H8 scale at higher level, and O1-O8 at ordinary level, without the finer 123 breakdown. Exam chiefs are also tackling problematic predictability in Leaving Certificate papers, to eliminate situations where teachers and students can second guess questions, and “learn off � a suite of answers in advance. The IUA proposals, recently circulated to universities for consideration, would form the basis for a second round of reforms, likely to be phased in for students entering fifth year in 2016 and 2017. The thrust of the paper is to find ways to incentivise students to study at higher level and to take subjects that are challenging, suited to their aptitudes and talents, and relevant to their plans for future study. Among the concerns expressed in the document is the perception among students that it is easier to gain points in some subjects, and levels, which encourages some to choose subjects for a points advantage. As well as picking inappropriate and less challenging subjects, some students will opt for ordinary level, rather than run the risk of falling short of 40pc at higher level, with zero points.