A Filipina in Singapore lost S$15,120 in a rental scam for a Paya Lebar condo.
Pamela Alliana, 36, sent the money in May 2025 and reported it to police in June 2025, she told AsiaOne in an interview published on Oct 20, 2026. She has not recovered the money.
She needed a residential address for her son's student pass application and her nanny's work permit, she said.
How it happened
Alliana found a rental listing on Facebook and contacted the property agent through WhatsApp, AsiaOne reported. She viewed the Paya Lebar unit twice before a tenancy agreement was prepared.
She agreed to a two-year lease and transferred S$8,400, which she understood covered a two-month security deposit and one month's advance rent.
She was then asked for S$3,360 described as a government tax filing fee, with a promise it would be returned within one working day. Another S$3,360 followed, described as a deposit required by the condo developer, refundable when she moved in.
In total she sent S$15,120 before she could no longer reach the agent on WhatsApp.
"I had seen the place with my own eyes, not once but twice, and I was convinced everything was legitimate," she told AsiaOne.
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Who it affects
Renters who arrange a unit through social media listings and WhatsApp, and who pay before moving in, face the same risk. Alliana said she had no experience as a main tenant.
She said she wished she had checked the payment requests on her own before sending money.
Earlier this year, police investigated 255 people aged 16 to 77 over more than 660 scam cases, including rental scams, with victims losing about S$5.6 million, AsiaOne reported.
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What she advises
Alliana said she hopes her story will make other renters more cautious when asked to transfer money before moving in. She urged them to verify the agent and the rental arrangements themselves rather than rely on Facebook listings and WhatsApp messages.
She filed her police report in June 2025 and is still waiting for the outcome she hoped for.
"Being scammed doesn't mean I deserved it, and it doesn't mean I'm stupid," she told AsiaOne.
