How to Avoid Rental Scams in Singapore: Tips from the Police

Singapore police have warned the public about a resurgence of rental scams involving fake property agents who ask for deposits to secure appointments for viewing properties.

According to the police, at least 287 victims have fallen prey to such scams between July and November 2023, with total losses amounting to over US$1 million.

The scammers would post fake property listings on websites and contact potential renters through WhatsApp chats, using spoofed numbers with the “+65” prefix. They would also use photos, names and license numbers of legitimate property agents that can be found on rental websites, to deceive the victims into believing that they are dealing with genuine agents.

The victims would then be asked to make refundable deposits, ranging from US$50 to US$300, to secure an appointment for viewing the property. The scammers would provide bank account numbers or phone numbers for the victims to transfer the money. After receiving the payment, the scammers would stop communicating with the victims.

Keep Reading

What’s the Police doing?

The police advised the public to beware of property listings on alternative platforms and to verify the legitimacy of the listings by ensuring that the contact number matches the one on the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA)’s website, where details on agencies are listed.

The public should also be wary of unknown numbers with the “+65” prefix, especially on WhatsApp chats, as these numbers were implemented by telcos in April 2020 to alert the public that they were being contacted from overseas, which is part of broader anti-scam efforts.

The police added that property agents are not authorized to handle cash transactions, and that no payments should be made before a house viewing. The public should also not transfer money to unknown persons, and report any suspicious cases to the police.

Tags: Rental Scams
Noto

Jakarta-based Newswriter for The Asian Affairs. A budding newswriter that always keep track of the latest trends and news that are happening in my country Indonesia.

Recent Posts

Reddit Faces Widespread Outage, Users Turn to Workarounds Amid ‘Server Error’ Messages

Thousands of users of the well-known social network Reddit were left without access after a major outage of the website.…

November 22, 2024

Anne Hathaway Casted as ‘Verity’ in Colleen Hoover’s Book Adaptation

Anne Hathaway is slated to play the much expected film version of Colleen Hoover's best-selling book Verity in front of…

November 21, 2024

Gucci Set to Revolutionize Fashion Presentations with Unified Shows in 2025 under Sabato De Sarno’s Vision

Gucci is ready to change its presentation approach for 2025 in a radical action aimed to revolutionize the fashion industry.…

November 21, 2024

South Korea’s “Korea Discount”: Addressing the Governance Gap to Boost Market Value

As world investors wait for significant changes that might solve long-standing problems of governance and responsibility in South Korea's companies,…

November 21, 2024

Pentagon Cracks Case of 2015 UFO Spotted by Navy Jet, but Doubts Persist About Government’s Explanation

Regarding the controversial 2015 UFO incident, a Pentagon official disclosed in a major development that it has cracked the riddle…

November 21, 2024

Trump’s Second Term: Key Cabinet Picks and What They Mean for America’s Future

As Donald Trump prepares for his second administration, his cabinet choices blatantly deviate from his first government. Once distinguished by…

November 21, 2024

This website uses cookies.

Read More