Woman loses over $15k in alleged rental scam despite viewing unit twice: 'How could I have been so trusting?'
More than a year after losing thousands of dollars in a rental scam, a woman is speaking out about her experience in the hope of preventing others from falling victim to similar schemes.Speaking to AsiaOne on Monday (Oct 20), Pamela Alliana, 36, said she had lost $15,120 in May 2025 while trying to secure a rental condo unit in Paya Lebar. "(It) was one of the darkest periods of my life. I was embarrassed, heartbroken and traumatised," said the mother of one. "I am choosing to speak up not because I want sympathy, but because I don't want anyone else to experience what I went through."Alliana, who is from the Philippines, shared that she had been searching for a property where she could be the main tenant, as she needed a residential address for her son's student pass application and her nanny's work permit.'Convinced everything was legitimate'She turned to Facebook, where she came across a rental listing and contacted the property agent through WhatsApp, who initially told her that the unit was available.