A Kerry councillor is calling for social media companies to be held to account over scams on their platforms, after a rental scam.
Independent councillor Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan was responding to a rental scam on Facebook Marketplace whereby pictures and an address from a genuine rental property in Killarney were falsely posted, with one man scammed out of €1,400 as a result.
Despite the property’s real owner contacting Facebook Marketplace to complain that their property was being used in a fake listing, Facebook has still not taken down the link.
The victim of this scam has contacted gardaí and they are investigating the matter, and Facebook has also been contacted for comment.
Cllr O’Callaghan says these companies should be held accountable for what’s on their platforms, especially at this time of year when students may be targeted looking for accommodation.
