Police have arrested a 36-year old man who is believed to be involved in at least 9 nine cases of rental scams.
Between June and August 2016, Police received several reports of rental scams cases. In these cases, victims had responded to online advertisements on the rental of a room in Punggol. The suspect would follow up with the victims and become uncontactable after collecting rental deposits between $200/- and $1000/-.
Upon receiving the reports, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division conducted extensive follow-up investigations and arrested the suspect on 25 August 2016.
The suspect will be charged in Court on 26 August 2016 with the offence of Cheating which carries a punishment of imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and a fine.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
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Visit the property to verify that it exists
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Ensure that the person you deal with is the rightful owner of the unit, or confirm that they are an accredited real estate agent
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Search for identical ads placed elsewhere; you could find out that the listing is a well-known scam
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Do not pay rental deposits or rent to the salesperson; payments should be made directly to the owner of the property and only after all parties have signed the tenancy agreement
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
25 August 2016 @ 9:15 PM