Rental Scams in Singapore and How to Avoid them

There have been many cases of rental scam in Singapore. According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), more than 430 related reports have been received from January to October this year, with losses exceeding SGD 2.7 million. This represents a significant rise in such cases. Many scams involve fake rental listings and impersonation of property agents, luring victims into paying deposits or rental fees without providing legitimate leases or properties.

We have compiled common rental scams and how to recognize them for everyone to avoid falling prey.

Rental Scam 1:  CEA Agent Impersonation Scam

The scammer puts up fake property listings online，then impersonates CEA-registered property agent by providing fake identity cards，business cards，and photos/videos of the rental property when the victim contacts them. Typically the property is described as highly attractive and the scammer tells the victim that the property is in high demand because househunters are in line to view it. The scammer then asks the victim to pay a deposit or a fee to make an appointment, cut the queue to view the unit, or secure the rental of the property. Once the victim believes the scammer and transfers money, the scammer ceases contact.


The scammer steals information about listings and CEA-registered property agents’ identities to appear plausible，while communicates with the victim using a different mobile number, such as a foreign number. Some careful victim search for the scammer’s contact number on the CEA Public Register but the search does not yield any results. Then the scammer claims that the ‘new’phone number has not been updated in the CEA Public Register yet（In fact，changes in contact numbers by property agents are immediately reflected in the CEA Public Register）.In some cases，the scammer sends a copy of the lease agreement with the personal particulars of the purported property owner and asks for the victim’s  personal details. Many victims fall prey to scams like this.


In another case, the scammer posts fake listings but tells the victim the advertised property is not available. Then, he introduces another property and arranges for the victim to view the unit in person with his “personal assistant”. When the victim decides to rent the unit and makes a payment，they are scammed.

Rental Scam 2:  House Owner Impersonation Scam

The scammer rents a property using a fake identity，then contacts with the victim to arrange a house viewing ，impersonating the owner of the property. The victim agrees to rent the property and pays a deposit after signing the tenancy agreement. Then, the victim is ghosted by the scammer. When the victim goes back to the property, they find it left empty. After lodging a police report，they are told that the scammer has paid only 1 month’s rent to the real house owner and has defrauded four more victims as well.

Rental Scam 3:  Recruiting Roommates Scam

The scammer posts on social media platforms claiming to be a tenant of a certain property who is looking for a shared roommate. The victim believes the scammer and transfers the deposit as required without attending a viewing. Then the scammer asks for more payment for various reasons and refuses to refund the deposit that has already been paid. When the victim finally realizes that something is wrong, the scammer deletes the post and disappears.


We now already know how rental scams work in Singapore, and here is how to avoid falling prey as following.

The first and most important thing is : do not transfer money to anyone before you attend a viewing. Always view the property with the CEA-registered property agent in person to ensure the property exists. Do not pay a deposit for viewing.

Do your due diligence on the representing agent. In Singapore, all property agents must be registered with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) before they can facilitate property transactions. Go to CEA's Public Register and key in the phone number of the person you are dealing with, or the phone number advertised to verify the identity of the property agent. You should be careful even the phone number advertised can be found due to some impersonate CEA-registered agents using their personal information. Make sure to contact with the same phone number as the one found on CEA. When viewing a property, verify that the person you're dealing with matches the photo in the CEA website.

Verify the identity of the property owner. Ask the agent for particulars of property owner and related proof such as documentary proof of flat ownership, HDB’s approval to rent out the HDB flat or bedroom，etc.  You are advised to only make direct payments to the property owner using verifiable payment modes such as crossed cheques and bank transfers. Check if the bank account belongs to the property owner.

Be cautious about recruiting roommates. Verify the identity information of the recruiter, the lease agreement between them and the landlord, whether the landlord agrees to add roommates, whether other roommates agree, and so on.

For new renters, it is recommended to get an agent on your behalf , which will be more secure. In Singapore the agents can be divided into landlord’s agent and tenant’s agent. For example, if you view a property online and contact the agents mentioned, these agents are the landlord’s agents. If the lease is reached, the agency fee is paid by the landlord and the tenant does not need to pay. But if you don't want to look for houses one by one or you are not familiar with the process, you can entrust an agent to help you find a house. You just need to list your demands and budget. In this case, the agent who helps you is your tenant’s agent, and you need to pay the agency fee. Generally, 1-month’s rent is charged for a 2-year lease, and 0.5 month’s rent is charged for a 1-year or less lease.


references：
https://www.cea.gov.sg/consumers/rental-scams#howtostaysafe
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20241122-5381656
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XKfcxxzNCjQGQA1VwbZxfA
https://www.8world.com/singapore/rental-scam-malaysia-singapore-2605161