Rental Scam Alert

Last week, Ate Ging and I learned from our main tenant that the unit we have at Parkview Apartments is already for sale by the owner, thus, he will not anymore renew the contract which will end on July 2010. It's quite sad to know that we will soon leave the place 'coz from the very beginning, I love living there-- a perfect place you can call home with the peace, comfort and convenience it offers.

And so the search is on for a new place, or else we find ourselves on streets..hehehe... The easiest way is to surf the internet because there are a lot of websites for property rentals. One thing I did is to post an ad that I'm looking for a place, preferrably a master's bedroom in a condo unit. There were calls and sms from agents, of course, but what suprised me are 3 different emails from 3 different individuals offering a very nice place at a very affordable price, basd on the photos that they attached and the description they gave. A fully furnished room in a deluxe serviced apartment at the heart of the city for only S$700/month! Too good to be true, isn't it?

But still, I partly assumed it to be true so I exchanged emails from them. They even sent me contract and their passport copy but doubts started when they said that 1 month advance and security deposit should be paid via Western Union as they are not currently in Singapore. I asked for viewing schedule but they said that they already sent photos and that they didn't arrange for any property agents prior to their trip so they will just immediately send the keys after receiving the payment.

This led me to search their names and emails in the Internet and I discovered in an online forum discussing about rental scammers and their names appeared on the list given by some of their victims. Thanks for I found this and confirmed my doubts.

Lesson to share is that for those who are looking for places to rent here in Singapore or wherever you may be, basic requirement is you should be able to view the place and sign the contract and do payment in front of the person dealing with the rental (owner/agent). A big NO for a Wester Union transfer! To make awareness, beware of these names- Tan Tong Nee, Nancy Wink and Gautam.

As for me and Ate, we are hoping that we can find a place as "homy" as the one we have now.