Rental scam by 'property agent': 7 groups of 'tenants' show up at Toa Payoh flat to ask for refunds

One man's life has been severely disrupted after his address was repeatedly used in a rental scam.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, a 70-year-old man surnamed Lin shared that a young female "tenant" showed up outside his flat at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 on May 20.

"You've been duped like the others," he told the woman.

According to Lin, who has been living in the flat for 23 years, seven such visitors had turned up at his door over the past six months.

"I found out that a scammer, posing as a property agent, has been using my address as well as photos of my house in bogus rental listings," the elderly man said.

"When the woman showed up at my door, she told me about the deposit she had paid. But I didn't know anything about the matter."

The "tenant" in question is a woman surnamed Liu.

The 23-year-old told the Chinese evening daily that she saw the flat being listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace so she left a comment indicating her interest.

A man claiming to be a property agent later contacted her on WhatsApp, she said, and they negotiated a monthly rent of $2,780.

After paying a $5,560 deposit to the "agent", however, Liu was told to pay another $2,000 in "taxes".

This roused her suspicions, so she decided to visit the flat.

"But after knocking on the door, the homeowner said that his house was not up for rent. I immediately lodged a police report," she said.

Liu also went to the bank for help and found out that her money was transferred to an overseas account.

She discovered that the scammer had impersonated an actual property agent after contacting the latter.

Out of the seven groups of "tenants' who visited Lin's flat, one group left the biggest impression on him.

At the end of Chinese New Year, a couple ended up screaming and crying outside his door after realising they were scammed out of a $12,000 deposit.

"They were in tears, but there was nothing I could do," Lin said, adding that he accompanied them to lodge a police report.

Others falling for home rental scams

Earlier in January, one man shared how he lost $6,700 in a rental scam.

Speaking to AsiaOne then, 28-year-old Felix Lim shared that he had placed a deposit after the alleged agent told him that the Toa Payoh flat was high in demand.

The man added that he also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI), which looked legitimate.

On the day of viewing the unit, however, the "agent" didn't turn up and stopped replying to his messages. 

He later found out a scammer had impersonated an actual property agent by using their signature and license number.

"The scammers have really elaborate tactics nowadays," Lim said.

ALSO READ: Jurong flat in alleged series of rental scams since 2019, police investigating

chingshijie@asiaone.com