144 victims lose $190k in viewing deposits to fake property agents

Another scam has popped up, where criminals pretend to be property agents and ask victims to pay money to secure an appointment for a viewing.

The police said yesterday that there are at least 144 victims so far, with losses amounting to $190,000.

In these scams, fake property listings would be put up on websites. After clicking on these advertisements, victims would receive WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers with the "+65" prefix.

Scammers would liaise with the victims using photos, names and licence numbers of legitimate property agents. Such information can be found on rental websites, deceiving victims into believing that they are dealing with bona fide property agents.

Victims interested in viewing a property would then be asked to make refundable deposits to secure an appointment.

In an example provided to the police, a scammer asked victims for $300 to schedule a viewing for a master bedroom. The scammers would provide bank account numbers or phone numbers for the victims to transfer money to. Victims would discover they had been tricked only after the scammers ceased contact with them.

The police advised the public to beware of property listings on alternative platforms and to verify the legitimacy of listings. This can be done by ensuring that the contact number of the estate agency matches that on the Council for Estate Agencies website.

The public should also beware of numbers with the "+65" prefix, especially on WhatsApp chats.

As part of broader anti-scam efforts, "+65" prefixes were implemented by telcos in April 2020 to alert people that they were being contacted from overseas. People should not pick up such calls if they are not expecting one from overseas.

Property agents are also not authorised to handle cash transactions. Therefore, there should be no money transfers before a house viewing. Lastly, people should generally not send money to unknown parties.

Those who wish to provide information about such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit the details online.

For scam-related advice, call 1800-722-6688 or visit the website www.police.gov.sg/iwitness