Sengkang flat rental scam: Tenants lodge police report against woman; ex-boyfriend also claims to be a victim

A victim of an alleged rental scam tried confronting the perpetrator's boyfriend to seek recourse.

The man, however, has claimed that they had broken up and he too, is a victim of deceit, Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday (Nov 26). 

Describing how he and his girlfriend fell victim to the ruse, the 30-year-old prospective tenant surnamed Hong shared that he had posted on Facebook about their search for a room to rent as their lease was about to expire.

Soon after, a woman named 'Becca' responded to Hong's post. She asked him if they would be interested in a room within a four-room unit in Sengkang.

The couple arranged for a viewing the next day which went well, said Hong.

Becca allegedly told Hong that as she was getting married soon, she was helping her boyfriend's parents find new tenants for their room.

To sweeten the deal, she also promised to help Hong buy the furniture that he needed.

Hong said that he and his girlfriend expressed their interest, to which Becca allegedly told him to pay one-month's worth of rent — $950 — as deposit.

"We have heard of a lot of rental scams, so we didn't dare to hand over the money so easily, Hong said. "We negotiated to give half of the deposit first, and then transfer the other half after the contract was signed."

They also found nothing amiss based on the homeowner's details which Becca provided. Said Hong: "The rental price was also average and not so low as to make one wary.

"The only thing suspicious was that she could only be contacted via WhatsApp, based on the mobile phone number she provided."

At least 7 other victims

Hong said that Becca started making excuses just before he was about to move into the flat, which roused his suspicions.

He added that he contacted her on Nov 22 and threatened to lodge a police report against her.

Becca also did not answer the door after he went to rental unit, said Hong. He later called the cops. 

Hong also managed to contact Becca's boyfriend and confronted him to ask why he allowed Becca to use his parents' home to swindle people.

Becca's boyfriend, however, claimed that the relationship had ended. He added that he had no knowledge that his ex was using his home as part of a scam and made a police report allegedly stating that he is a victim as well. 

Hong said that after he'd lodged a police report, Becca told him that she was in Johor Bahru and would return to Singapore to explain everything to him.

But he added that only Becca's mother turned up at the meeting. She explained that she had no idea what her daughter had done.

Hong told Shin Min Daily News that he'd discovered at least seven other victims on social media platforms, with one of the victims stating that they knew of 10 others who fell for the scam. 

According to the Chinese daily, police are investigating the case.

Tenant made to cough up additional $2,600

Another victim, who gave her name as Xie, 19, told Shin Min that she had received a message from a person named 'Rebecca' following her post on social media platform Xiaohongshu on May 26 about looking for a place to rent.

Although Rebecca allegedly promised Xie that she could move in by July 6, she ended up delaying the move by giving Xie multiple excuses, such as requiring the latter's work permit and identification card after she had paid the $650 deposit.

Just before the intended move, Rebecca claimed that the fuse box was burnt. Xie then paid $1,300 to move into another unit temporarily.

When Xie wanted to move into the flat Oct 31, Rebecca said that there was a problem with the electricity supply at home and asked her to stay in a hotel.

Xie said she paid $1,000 for this arrangement. 

"She also borrowed $200 from me after saying she needed it urgently. I'd given her $2,600 before I even moved in," Xie added. 

Xie told Shin Min that Rebecca's mother is still negotiating with the other victims on how to pay what was owed to them in installments.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com

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