--- title: "Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing condo twice: ‘I saw the place with my own eyes’" url: "/trending-now/woman-loses-over-15k-alleged-rental-scam-despite-viewing-condo-twice-i-saw-place-my-own-eyes" published: "2026-10-19T05:34:20.000Z" updated: "2026-10-19T05:34:20.000Z" section: "Trending Now" authors: ["Cherry Tan"] tags: ["TNP News","scam","Rental","condominum","real estate company"] --- # Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing condo twice: ‘I saw the place with my own eyes’ *A woman who lost $15,120 in an alleged rental scam is sharing her story in hopes that others do not go through the same experience.* A woman said she lost $15,120 in an alleged rental scam despite viewing a condominium unit twice and receiving documents that appeared legitimate. Pamela Alliana, 36, shared her experience in a 22-slide TikTok carousel on Oct 18, saying it took her more than a year to find the courage to speak about what happened. Her post has since garnered more than 218,500 views and 7,400 likes. ## Came across listing on Facebook Alliana, who works in hospitality, said she was looking for a rental unit in May 2025 where she could be the main tenant, as she needed an address for her son’s student pass application and her nanny’s work permit. She came across a Facebook rental listing and contacted a man who identified himself as a property agent named Glenn. After the original unit she was keen on became unavailable, he offered her another property at Paya Lebar Residences. Alliana viewed the unit on May 17, 2025, with someone was supposedly Glenn’s colleague, as he could not attend. She returned for a second viewing with a prospective tenant for the master bedroom before agreeing to rent the unit. She said she signed a tenancy agreement and transferred $8,400 on May 21, comprising two months’ deposit and one month’s advance rent. ![Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing condo twice: ‘Deceived by people I believed I could trust’](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/c2fbf5fb54c92c084cc26ef4de320d5ff10c9b37b12f7f5e8f1cd6f77c3a5674) *After viewing the unit twice, Alliana signed the necessary documents to formalise the rental.* She was subsequently asked to pay another $3,360 for what was described as a condominium security deposit, which she was told would be refunded when she moved in. On June 3, she was asked to transfer a further $3,360 over an alleged tax filing issue and was assured the money would be refunded within one working day. Alliana said she continued making the payments because she “wanted to settle everything at once” before moving in — but the promised refunds never arrived. She sent Glenn a text message about this, and was told he was “settling the refund” for her. A few days later, she was unable to contact him again as his phone number was no longer available. ![Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing condo twice](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/75e59c5ca96f7519dd12436b09c2938e7b9fa0b9cf81dfff90b7caff80f70e83) She later noticed discrepancies in what appeared to be an email from DBS about the refund, including dates and the last four digits of the bank account. When she contacted the real estate agency Glenn claimed to be from, she was told that someone by the name of Glenn worked there. However, the two phone numbers provided did not belong to him. She lodged a police report on June 6, 2025. The initial Facebook listing was also subsequently deleted, she said. ![Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing condo twice: ‘Deceived by people I believed I could trust’](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/b7a14f701374e564b27cae76783533c5a7e68fef79dd7cbe185be9fdcaad048f) *Alliana eventually lodged a police report on June 6, 2025.* ## Never imagined this could happen in Singapore In her TikTok post, Alliana said the financial loss was accompanied by embarrassment, heartbreak and trauma. “Every dollar represented my time, my sacrifices, and the countless hours I spent working overseas for my family,” the Filipina wrote. “What made it even harder to accept was this: I was in Singapore, a country I had always considered safe.” “Being scammed doesn’t mean I deserved it, and it doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” she wrote in her post. “I was deceived by people I believed I could trust.” Speaking to Stomp, Alliana said she had yet to recover her money or receive the resolution she hoped for following her police report. She said the experience taught her that viewing a property in person and receiving seemingly legitimate documents were not enough. She advised prospective tenants to independently verify a property agent’s identity and registration, confirm the landlord’s identity and authority to rent out the unit, and be wary of additional payments requested for deposits, taxes or other fees. ## Others shared similar stories Explaining why it took her over a year to share her story, she said: “I decided to share my story more than a year later because, honestly, I was initially afraid, embarrassed, and traumatised by what happened.” However, she came to realise that being quiet would not help others learn from her experience. After sharing her story on TikTok, the 36-year-old has received messages from others who said they had experienced similar situations. Although she remains disappointed about the money lost, Alliana said she and her family are moving forward and “focusing on our lives”. “I hope that by sharing my story, I can help protect other families from experiencing the same thing.” Members of the public who suspect they have been scammed can call the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Scams can be reported via the ScamShield website or the ScamShield app.