To save time and travel expenses, Huynh Van Nghia (a first-year student majoring in Pedagogy, Can Tho City) chose to find a place to stay on social media. However, because he was gullible, this student was recently scammed out of his 1 million VND deposit.
According to Nghia, due to difficult family circumstances, to get to the city, he had to take a bus for more than 2 hours with a distance of over 70km, so accommodation was always the top priority.
"I contacted the account posted on the online rental website to make an appointment to see the room, and this person agreed. A few days later, they called again and said there was only one room left, someone had just rented it, and if I didn't deposit 1 million in advance, I would lose the room. I was afraid that there wouldn't be a room when I started school, so I had to go to the bank to transfer the money to them. After transferring the money, I called them but they didn't answer and blocked my number," Nghia recounted bitterly.
Similarly, also looking for a room to rent through social networks to help her sister, Ms. Pham Thi Huynh Nhu (Phong Dien district, Can Tho city) was surprised when she received a room that was "pictured one way, reality another way".
Ms. Nhu said: "When I contacted them, they sent me videos and pictures of furniture such as beds, wardrobes and very new rooms. Because they were rushed and subjective, my sister and I transferred a deposit of 800,000 VND without going to see it in person. When the day came to check in, we were shocked because the room was old, with only a rusty iron bed, but we still had to accept it because we regretted the deposit."
Ms. Hoang Oanh, a landlord in Ninh Kieu district (Can Tho city), said: "Many students have just come to the city, are new to the city and are gullible and get scammed. There were a few times when I was startled because students came to check in while I did not post any rental articles on social networks."
To avoid being scammed , the landlord Hoang Oanh said: "When you need to rent a house, you need to go directly to see and discuss with the landlord before making a deposit. Students need to be aware of forms of urging early deposit transfer because of full rooms and scarcity. As for my house, if you do not meet the tenant directly, we will not rent it or accept a deposit in advance."
In Can Tho City, to support and facilitate students' study and accommodation, universities and colleges have arranged dormitories on campus. Students can register their wishes to stay in dormitories when submitting their admission application with prices ranging from 100,000 - 300,000 VND/month.
