SINGAPORE - At least 305 people have lost about $1.7 million since January to scammers who pretend to be property agents, said the police in an advisory on Tuesday.
These scammers put up online property listings on various advertisement websites, such as Facebook and Carousell, enticing victims into starting a conversation with them on Whatsapp through the contact numbers listed on these ads.
The scammers then impersonate registered property agents, furnishing the details of a legitimate property agent, including their Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) registration numbers, business cards, as well as photos and videos of the property they are leasing.
But when victims enquire about viewing the property, the scammers will claim that there is too much demand, before pressuring them into making rental deposits to a local bank account to secure the units.
The police noted that in some cases, the scammers will ask for personal details in order to prepare the lease agreement, which they send over to the victims, requesting for a signature.
Upon receiving the signature, the scammers ask for rental deposits to be made.
Victims realise that they have been scammed once the “property agent” they were communicating with becomes uncontactable.
Otherwise, they would only find out when they had reached out to legitimate property agents.
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