Tampines Singapore On going Rental Scam

[zzm9980]

Hi Good faith( one month advance rent and deposit ) is tradition here.

Uhm that much? only if you're a sucker.

i think i paid some kind of good faith money to the landlord too. but it was just couple hundred dollars.

Yes that sounds much more normal.

Most expats I know ante up a total of 2 months rent for deposit and last month. It is pretty normal

Yes, but you sign the lease and get the keys at the same time. "Good faith deposit" is money given in good faith to hold or reserve the unit. You don't give that much up front.

[PNGMK]

I'd escalate this. Right up to the AGC and the police commissioner and your local MP. The SPF really piss me off with this round filing behavior. This is clear cut fraud to me.

(Why is Singapore crime low? Maybe because the SPF refuse to register a bunch of the cases....). You know what the say "Low (recorded) crime, doesn't mean no (unrecorded) crime".

[rajagainstthemachine]

So that means in all fraud cases police look the other way and say its between two individuals?
lol that is just amazing!!
@OP SMS conversation of payment confirmation is of little use I believe, did you hand over cash or was it a cheque? Do you know his bank account details ?
for all transactions of an official kind I normally issue cheque or online Payments, that way there is no shady money deals and one can track the persons credentials at any time.
your scammer was a Nigerian uncle in disguise..

[Pradeep Kumar Boora]

It was via ATM transfer to his bank account.
I have details of his bank account and he is real owner of the HDB flat.

[Beeroclock]

As i posted we all went to Police and even file single police report as well.
But Police refused to consider it as fraud or cheating case and ask us to seek SCT help. SCT as consider it as one to one case and given money order against the HDB owner. Still there is a long for us to enforce this order.
We have contacted every possible authority Police, Court, HDB, Our Embassy but still to get justice.

I'm also surprised no police action if there are many cases.

What specifically is the problem or delay on enforcing the SCT order?

[Pradeep Kumar Boora]

Enforcement of money order is our next step. But WSS says only immovable property can be seized. This owner is not staying in the HDB flat hence does not have any immovable assets in flat and he has already taken advance rental from current tenant for rest of their tenancy agreement. We are not sure of his other immovable property. We have many SCT orders against him so far but not sure on how enforcement of money order will give our money back. We are in process to seek legal help on this matter. HDB owner is threatening that it will be of no use to approach court as he will prove in court that he is bankrupt. So far in my knowledge he has cheated more than SGD 17000 from different family. We are looking for every option to get our money back which looks like a complicated and long legal course as of now.

[Strong Eagle]

Yes we have signed tenancy agreement and all SMS conversation with confirmation for amount paid

If you have a signed tenancy agreement, then move in. What's the deal?

[Pradeep Kumar Boora]

How we can move since existing tenancy agreement is still valid and current tenant is staying there ? And how many of victims can move as he has done cheating with many family and off course none of us have the keys ?

[yogaloungeforever]

Forget the SCT. Go to the High Court. That's where judgement will be served

[rajagainstthemachine]

How we can move since existing tenancy agreement is still valid and current tenant is staying there ? And how many of victims can move as he has done cheating with many family and off course none of us have the keys ?

you need to hype the situation up and create some pressure on the owner,like all of the cheated folk need to gather around the unit with valid papers and stage some sort of demonstration

[x9200]

HDB owner is threatening that it will be of no use to approach court as he will prove in court that he is bankrupt. So far in my knowledge he has cheated more than SGD 17000 from different family. We are looking for every option to get our money back which looks like a complicated and long legal course as of now.

I really have difficulty to believe the police did not take any action with all the facts on the plate as you wrote them in this thread. Have you tried to approach an MP?

Bankrupt? Are his debts higher than the value of his hdb unit?

[sundaymorningstaple]

x9200, makes no difference. Even in Bankruptcy, the HDB flats are exempt from liquidation and the landlord knows it.

[Pradeep Kumar Boora]

Does that really mean he can cheat as many as he wants and can divert funds to his will and later can prove to court that he is bankrupt. There must be some way in law by which he should not only cough up the cheated money but also should get jail term.

[JR8]

As it is, it is a civil matter, i.e. not one for the police.

The LL will doubtless know this too.

[Pradeep Kumar Boora]

Action has been taken in similar case in past and I believe it should happen in this case as well
http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2014/01/20140 ... cam_F.html