Conman makes up to €35,000 from apartment rental scam

Up to 30 people have been conned out of an estimated total of €35,000 over the past three days in a rental scam involving an upmarket development in Dublin, The Irish Times has learned.

Prospective tenants arrived at an apartment in the Sweepstakes in Ballsbridge on Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday with keys to the two-bedroomed apartment they had been given by a man who claimed to be the landlord. They discovered that the keys did not fit.

The tenants had responded to an advert on popular accommodation website Daft.ie offering the apartment for a rent of €1,150 a month. A man calling himself Alan Grogan invited them to view the fully furnished apartment on Good Friday.

A large number of people attended the open viewing. Those who were interested were told to contact Mr Grogan later on his mobile phone.

He offered each prospective tenant the apartment and arranged to meet each of them at a different location. He asked for a cash deposit of €1,150 plus a month's rent in advance. He provided each tenant with a set of keys, a lease agreement, which he signed, and a receipt for the money paid out.

It is understood that some 15 couples arrived over three days to move in to the accommodation.

Monika Tauer, from Poland, who works in a Dublin hotel, had planned to move into the apartment with two of her friends. She arrived at the Sweepstakes complex yesterday afternoon and was shocked when she found that her keys did not fit the lock.

She viewed the apartment last week, was very impressed and completely taken in by the man.

Mr Grogan called to the hotel and collected the cash from her. "He told us to move in on Thursday, he gave us a lease agreement and told us to bring it to a solicitor to look it over," she said.

"He even gave us a receipt for the money."

She said there was CCTV footage of Mr Grogan in the hotel where he met her. He is described as 173cm (5ft 8in), aged 50 to 55 with partly greying hair. He has dark eyes and a side tooth is missing.

A Garda spokeswoman said there would be a full investigation. A spokesman for the Sweepstakes management company said last night it was not in a position to comment. Daft.ie director Brian Fallon said that it would now consider starting a "bond authority" scheme, under which the tenant would pay the customary booking deposit directly to Daft.ie.