Beware of car rental scams during the Chinese New Year period, the police have warned the public.

Victims of such scams lost at least $25,000 between January and November last year.

These car rental scams usually involve victims paying a deposit or the full amount to rent a vehicle after responding to advertisements put up by scammers.

Some scammers also use a temporary office to appear credible, said the police in a statement on Thursday, noting that in the first 11 months of last year, at least 35 reports on car rental scams were made.

After a hirer makes a payment, the rented vehicle is not delivered on the proposed day of collection, and the scammers become uncontactable.

The police advised the public to be wary of car rental advertisements that use generic photographs, adding that pictures of cars for rent should match the make and model of the vehicle advertised.

Car hirers should rent vehicles only from reputable car rental companies, and check with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority to confirm that a car rental business is registered.

They should insist on documents with details on the vehicle rental, such as those for payment as well as particulars of the parties involved, and keep a copy for their reference.

They should also ask to see the car that is to be rented and its log card to verify its ownership.

Anyone with information related to such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000, or visit www.police.gov.sg/iwitness to submit the information online.

Those who require urgent police assistance can call 999.

To report car rental advertisements that seem too good to be true, they can call the anti-scam helpline on 1800-722-6688.

They can also go to www. scamalert.sg to find out more about scams, and join the "Let's Fight Scams" campaign at www.scam-alert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive updates and share them with family and friends.