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Singapore

Police warn of rental scams involving fake property agents; at least S$1.8 million lost between July and November

Police warn of rental scams involving fake property agents; at least S$1.8 million lost between July and November

Condominiums and HDB blocks in Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)

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SINGAPORE: At least 287 victims have fallen prey to rental scams involving fake property agents between July and November, with total losses amounting to at least S$1.8 million (US$1.34 million), police said in a news release on Monday (Dec 11).

In this scam variant, victims were pressured by fake property agents into making payments to secure the viewing or rental of properties. 

Victims would typically respond to sponsored property rental listings on various online platforms or websites such as Facebook, Carousell and rental advertisement sites, with the largest number of victims responding to listings on Facebook. 

They would generally interact with the scammers through WhatsApp using the contact numbers in the rental listing. During their exchange, the scammers would pretend to be a property agent registered with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA). 

They would convince the victims of their credentials by sending pictures of their CEA registration number, business cards, as well as pictures or videos or virtual tours of the rental property. 

However, the contact numbers provided would differ from the actual contact numbers registered with CEA, police said. 

When the victims asked if they could view the property, the scammers would claim that there was a high demand to rent the property. They would then pressure the victims into making deposits to secure the property. 

Victims would then discover that they were scammed when the scammers stopped contacting them or when they reached out to the legitimate property agents who were impersonated through other means.

In some cases, victims were asked to meet up with the fake property agents' "personal assistants", who would help facilitate the property viewing. After the viewing, the victims would be told to provide their personal particulars for the tenancy agreement and to make payment for the rentals through bank transfers or PayNow. 

However, after payment, the scammer or the "personal assistants" would cease contact with the victims. 

For these cases, at least 77 victims have fallen prey to this method of scamming between July and November, with total losses amounting to at least S$473,000.

Screengrabs of a conversation between a scammer and a victim. Scammers would pressure victims into paying deposits to secure rental viewings. (Images: Singapore Police Force)

The police advised members of the public to not rely on Facebook or Carousell listings, or the assurances of the scammer over WhatsApp. 

People who want to rent properties should also check whether the phone number in the listings belongs to a property agent registered with CEA by searching the advertised phone number on the CEA public register. 

If the search does not show a CEA-registered property agent's profile page, it means that the number is not registered with CEA and is likely a scam, even if the property agent's name and registration number can be found in the register. 

The police also advised members of the public to contact the property agent's agency from trusted sources, and not the number given on the Facebook or Carousell listing, to verify the listing's authenticity. 

Property agents are also not allowed to demand payments to view the premises, and rental deposits must be paid to the landlord's bank accounts, not the "personal assistants" bank accounts or PayNow numbers, police said. 

Members of the public were also encouraged to report the fradulent pages to the online platforms where the listings are found. 

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said rental deposits must be paid to the real estate agencies' bank accounts. The police have amended their advisory to reflect that it should be paid to the landlords' bank accounts.

Source: CNA/lk(rj)
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