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Scammers have once again found a new method that works on unsuspecting Singaporeans.

This time, the scammers pose as property agents and list properties for rent online, on various sites such as Facebook and Carousell.

They then use legitimate property agents' details to convince victims to transfer rental deposits to secure their desired property before becoming uncontactable.

Since January 2023, at least 305 victims have fallen prey to such scams, with losses amounting to at least S$1.7 million, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in an advisory posted to its website on Mar. 21.

How did the scammers convince their victims?

SPF said the scammers would pretend there was intense demand when asked if they could view the property.

This was to pressure victims to quickly make deposits to secure the rental.

"In some cases, the scammers would request for the victim’s personal details to prepare the lease agreement and would send a copy of a lease agreement with the name and NRIC of the purported owner of the unit to the victims for their signature before asking for the rental deposits," said SPF.

SPF provided samples of conversations between the scammers and potential tenants:

SPF also posted samples of falsified rental documents which bore the letterheads of property companies:

How to avoid this scam?

SPF advised precautionary measures, including downloading the ScamShield App and setting up two-factor authentication on their accounts.

SPF also advised members of the public to verify the legitimacy of property listings by checking whether phone numbers in property listings belong to agents registered with CEA.

They can search for the advertised phone number on the CEA Public Register (https://www.cea.gov.sg/public-register).

"If the search does not lead to a property agent’s profile page, it means that the phone number is not registered with CEA and is a likely scam, even if the property agent’s name and registration number has been verified against the CEA Public Register," said SPF.

Alternatively, one can verify the authenticity of a listing by contacting the agent's property agency.

SPF said those with information relating to such crimes, or who are in doubt, should call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

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Top image via SPF website