The Police have arrested a 41-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in several cases of rental scams.
In October 2016, the Police received several reports of rental scam cases in Toa Payoh. In these cases, the victims responded to online advertisements on Facebook and the suspect would become uncontactable after collecting rental deposits of up to $700.
Upon receiving the reports, officers from Tanglin Division conducted extensive follow-up investigations and arrested the suspect on 26 October 2016.
The suspect will be charged in Court on 27 October 2016 for the offence of Cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. Anyone found guilty of the offence may be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall be liable to a fine.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
a) Ensure that the person you deal with is the rightful owner of the unit, or confirm that they are an accredited real estate agent
b) Search for identical ads placed elsewhere; you could find out that the listing is a well-known scam
c) 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
26 October 2016 @ 8:30 PM