At least $2.7m lost to property rental scams involving con men posing as agents

SINGAPORE — At least $2.7 million has been lost since January to con men posing as property agents, amid a resurgence of e-commerce rental scams. 

More than 430 cases of this kind, in which scammers impersonated agents registered with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA), were reported from January to October 2024. 

Victims would contact the scammers, who listed their contact numbers on property rental listings shared on social media platforms or rental advertisement sites, said the police on Nov 21. 

These scammers would impersonate agents and prove their credibility with photos of property agent passes, business cards or photos and videos of the rental property.

In some cases, the scammers engaged people to pose as colleagues or personal assistants to attend viewings with the victims, under the pretext that the agent could not make it. 

Victims would then be asked for their personal details for the tenancy agreement, and asked to make payment for deposit or rental through bank transfers or PayNow.

They would realise they had been duped after the scammers stopped responding to them, or when they contacted a legitimate property agent.

The police advised the public to verify the identity and registered contact numbers of agents against the CEA Public Register before engaging them. 

Payments for rent and deposit should be made directly to the landlord through cheques and bank transfers.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.