Alarm as Singapore renters lose over US$1 million to fake property agents - South China Morning Post

Hundreds of people in Singapore have fallen victim to rental scams this year involving fake property agents, police revealed, with total losses amounting to S$1.8 million (US$1.34 million) or more.

Between July and November, at least 287 people were taken in by the scams, which see victims pressured into making payments to secure property viewings or rentals, police said in a news release on Monday.

Victims typically responded to listings on platforms such as Facebook – which accounted for the largest number of cases – as well as Carousell or rental advertisement websites.

Fake property listings were a particular problem on Facebook, police said. Photo: AP

When contacted, usually via WhatsApp, the scammers pretend to be property agents registered with the city state’s Council for Estate Agencies (CEA), sending pictures of their CEA registration number and business cards, as well as pictures or videos or virtual tours of the property.

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

When a victim asked if they could view the property, the scammers would claim that there was high demand and pressure the prospective renter into paying a deposit. The scammers would then cut off all contact.

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At least 77 victims were asked to meet up with the fake property agents’ “personal assistants”, who would help facilitate the property viewing. Afterwards, the victims were told to provide their personal details for a tenancy agreement and to make a payment, police said.

The police advised people not to rely on Facebook or Carousell listings, or assurances made via WhatsApp.

People who want to rent properties should 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, police said.

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.

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The police also advised prospective renters to contact property agencies directly, not using the number given on Facebook or Carousell listings, to verify the listing’s authenticity.

Police said property agents were not allowed to demand payment in return for a viewing, and rental deposits must be paid to agencies’ bank accounts, not the bank accounts of “personal assistants”.

Members of the public were also encouraged to report fraudulent listings to the online platforms on which such listings were found.

This article was first published by CNA

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