Man jailed for rental scam
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 06 September 2011 1350 hrs
SINGAPORE: He cheated 11 people of more than S$24,000 by making them believe that his flat was for rent.
For that, 38-year-old Alvin Eng Han Lim will spend 27 months behind bars.
Eng's latest victims signed agreements with him between April and August this year to rent the flat at Block 42 Circuit Road.
Eng, who was unemployed when he committed the offences, had enticed them with advertisements in newspapers and an online portal, Propertyguru.
He made off with between S$300 and S$10,500 from each of his victims.
Mr Aw Yong Kok Pin, who is one of the victims, suffered the largest loss after Eng fooled him into believing that the two rooms in the flat were available for rent.
Mr Aw Yong agreed to pay Eng S$750 per month for each room and later transferred S$10,500 to him for his supposed deposit and six months' advance rent. He was slated to move in on May 28.
But three days before he could do so, he received a text message from Eng who claimed that his flat was not ready due to some HDB-related issues.
Eng said that he would compensate Mr Aw Yong but it turned out to be an empty promise.
The court heard that he has not made any restitution to Mr Aw Yong.
However, he managed to pay back two of his victims in full and made partial restitutions to another three.
These amounted to nearly S$6,500 in all.
Eng was convicted of a similar offence four years ago and given 10 months' jail.
- CNA/fa
