‘The world and its granny know about these’ - Judge blasts woman in €1,700 rent scam
A Dublin sales assistant claimed she was naive and for letting a distant friend lodge €1,700 into her bank account, but it turned out the funds were from a rent scam.Convicting 24-year-old Emily Paiva, Judge John Hughes said the “penny should have dropped”, and she should have suspected something.“The world and its granny know all about these scams,” he rebuked Paiva and told the accused that her explanation was not credible.Crime Wrap for January 16 Paiva of Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown, was remanded on continuing bail to appear again in March for sentencing. The judge suggested she consider raising €5,000 to court as restitution and compensation.The court heard that the victim paid the money as a deposit for accommodation in Dublin to start a job in Blackrock. Living in Tullamore at the time, the loss forced him into a gruelling two-month commute, beginning at 4 am and returning on a 7 pm train while he saved for a new deposit. Read moreCCTV footage shows brazen late-night bid to break into car outside Wicklow homeHe is now more wary of online transactions.Paiva was found guilty of money laundering in March 2024 for recklessly possessing proceeds of criminal conduct, though the court noted she was not involved in the initial deception. The €1,730 was lodged into her account, withdrawn, and transferred via the Wise app over the following three days.Paiva claimed she was helping a “distant friend” from Facebook who said he was moving from Manchester and wanted to avoid currency charges while supporting his child. Read moreWoman raped by two brothers when she was a child tells how they destroyed her lifeShe claimed she acted out of empathy and understood the expense of travelling with a child, but it emerged that the child was already in Dublin. The court heard Paiva was given €500 of the cash, and the friend drove her to the bank machines to make withdrawals.She said she was devastated when she understood the seriousness of what happened.Her barrister asked the judge to note she had no prior convictions, had been gainfully employed since leaving school, but grappled with mental health problems.’
