ST : Duo jailed for tricking eight in HDB flat rental scam

Jul 27, 2010

Duo jailed for tricking eight in HDB flat rental scam

TWO women were jailed yesterday for a rental scam that duped eight people into parting with almost $24,000 in rental deposits.

Between last November and March this year, friends Phey Mui Hoon, 45, and Kuan Ai Lee, 47, targeted their victims - seven of them foreigners - through advertisements.

Yesterday, Phey was jailed for a year and 41/2 months, while Kuan, who had a previous cheating conviction, was sentenced to a year and eight months behind bars.

A district court heard that they had a locksmith install new locks at an empty flat in Block 28B, Dover Crescent, before offering it for rent on at least eight occasions. But they did not even own the 12th-storey apartment in the first place.

On April 5, a draftsman reported to the police that he had been cheated of $3,500 by the two women. He said he was promised the keys to the flat on March 27, but could not reach either of them for more than a week.

The pair were eventually arrested at a hotel in Joo Chiat.

Besides facing eight cheating charges, Phey and Kuan were each also charged with eight counts of criminal trespass for entering the flat without permission from the HDB.

Real estate agents told The Straits Times that although there had been a handful of rental scams in the past, the problem grew dramatically in recent years because of the increasing number of foreigners coming here to work or study.

According to the police, there were 355 cases in 2008 and 324 cases of rental scams last year.

Police advise potential tenants to verify and confirm the ownership of the property before signing the tenancy agreement or making any advance or deposit payment.

They also suggest that tenants request for all parties, such as the owners and the housing agents, to be present when signing tenancy documents.

Real estate agent Annie Tan said alarm bells should be ringing when ridiculously low rents are offered.

'Since the con artist will take the money and run, he or she will try to make the offer irresistible,' she said.

KHUSHWANT SINGH