THE resurgence of a particular rental scam variant has been noted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

Losses have amounted to about or over S$190,000 with at least 144 victims having fallen prey to such scams since January 2022, according to a press statement on Monday (Mar 21).

Under this scam variant, perpetrators would list fake property listings on websites before subsequently contacting victims through WhatsApp chats, pretending to be property agents. The scammers would later ask their victims for deposits to secure an appointment for viewing of the property.

Based on the SPF's observations, victims are typically led to a WhatsApp chat from unknown numbers with the "+65" prefix after clicking on a link on the website's advertisement.

Using spoofed numbers to liaise with the victims, the scammers would use photos, names and licence numbers of legitimate property agents that can be found on rental websites. This is to deceive victims into believing that they are legitimate property agents.

Those interested to view the property as advertised would be asked to make "refundable deposits" to secure an appointment and be provided with bank account numbers or phone numbers to transfer the money.

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The victims would only discover that they had been scammed after the scammers ceased contact with them.

The SPF advises members of the public to be wary of unknown numbers with the "+65" prefix, especially if they are using WhatsApp.

They should also beware of property listings on alternative platforms and verify the legitimacy of a listing by ensuring that the contact number matches the one on the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA)'s website, where details on agencies are listed.

"Property agents are not authorised to handle cash transactions. Therefore, no payments should be made before a house viewing," said the SPF.

"Do not transfer money to unknown persons."

READ MORE: 

• Man to be charged for alleged rent deposit scams involving over S$50,000

• Scammers hit real estate sector by passing off as agents on platforms

• Property market sees rise in spoof messages from purported agents

• IMDA concludes anti-SMS spoofing registry pilot, starts onboarding process