SINGAPORE - At least 305 people have lost about $1.7 million since January to scammers who pretended to be property agents, said the police in an advisory on Tuesday.
These scammers put up online property listings on various advertisement websites, including on Facebook and Carousell, enticing victims into starting a conversation with them on WhatsApp through the contact numbers listed on these ads.
The scammers then impersonate registered property agents, furnishing the details of a legitimate property agent, including their Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) registration numbers, business cards, as well as photos and videos of the property they are leasing.
But when victims inquire about viewing the property, the scammers will claim that there is too much demand, before pressuring them into making rental deposits to a local bank account to secure the units.
The police noted that in some cases, the scammers will ask for personal details in order to prepare the lease agreement, which they send over to the victims, requesting a signature.
Upon receiving the signature, the scammers ask for rental deposits to be made.
Victims realise they have been scammed when the “property agent” they were communicating with becomes uncontactable.
Otherwise, they would find out only when they reach out to legitimate property agents.
To protect themselves from such scams, the police advised members of the public to install the ScamShield mobile application or set security features, including two-factor or multifactor authentication, for their various accounts.
They added that the public should verify the legitimacy of a property listing, whether by cross-referencing the provided phone number with that of a CEA-registered property agent through its public register, or by contacting the respective property agency.
Fraudulent advertisements should also be reported to the respective online platforms, said the police.
For more information on scams, the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
Anyone with information on such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness
