Runshaw College students targeted by scammers over parking spaces
College students are being swindled out of hundreds of pounds by scammers advertising fake parking spaces near Runshaw College in Leyland.
A number of Runshaw College students have fallen victim to the scam which sees fraudsters posing as residents with driveways to rent near the campus in Langdale Road.
One teenager paid £50 to a ‘local resident’ who approached her on Facebook, offering her the use of his driveway during the week. He made contact after she posted on a local Facebook group asking whether any residents in the area would allow her to park her car on their driveway while she attended her classes.
The man offered her the use of his driveway for £100 a month, before reducing his asking price to £50. But after paying him via bank transfer, the young woman was puzzled to discover she wasn’t exactly welcome at the address when she parked up on Monday.
Mum Sarah Nicholl said: “She’s turned up to park and the owners of the property knew nothing about it! They told her she was the third person that morning to show up at their house to use their driveway. It sounds like he’s spinning tales to everyone.
“She bank transferred the money in good faith and has been completely ripped off by this lousy person. He used a different name for his bank account, which was suspicious, but we didn’t worry too much about it at the time.
“My daughter works part-time and is a full-time student, she doesn’t have the money to be scammed. I just wanted to warn others because I don’t want anyone else to be ripped off like this!”
Sarah said both Lancashire Police and Runshaw College were informed of the scam, with the college saying it will make students aware.
Parking on campus is not available to Runshaw students unless there are “exceptional, typically medical, circumstances”, says the college. Off campus parking is similarly limited, with nearby Worden Park restricting parking to two hours, prompting many students to seek parking on streets around the campus.
It has led some students to appeal on local Facebook groups for spaces to rent on people’s driveways in the area. But it appears scammers are watching, with the same Facebook fraudster offering a stranger’s driveway to at least four different Runshaw students for £100 per month.
Lancashire Police were approached for comment.