A 40-year-old man was found dead in his flat on 30 March after falsely claiming vacancies available for rent, 8world reports.
The deceased, named only as Vincent, took his life by burning charcoal in his room, according to his roommate, named as Mr Goh.
Vincent was immediately taken to Sengkang General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Police. Further investigations are ongoing.
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There is, however, more to Vincent’s story.
What Happened
After Vincent’s death, his flat began receiving visitors who claimed to be new tenants scheduled to move in, Mr Goh revealed in an interview.
According to victims of the scam, Vincent would contact potential tenants on Facebook and bring them on viewings of the property. As soon as they agreed to the lease, he would charge them a rent that differed from one to another, even though the flat was already at full capacity.
Some were even pressed for further monetary transfers, including one who paid S$8,000 in rent and lent a further S$4,000 to the deceased, and another who was cheated into investing S$17,400 in his side businesses. The total amount lost is estimated to be about S$100,000, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
At least 37 have surfaced as victims to the scam, and there are believed to be more.
Mr Goh himself wasn’t spared either. Following Vincent’s passing, he began receiving calls from loan sharks demanding repayment for loans, even though he had never engaged their services. The intimidation has forced him out of the flat, and he has not yet found another place to stay.
It appeared that Vincent listed Mr Goh as the guarantor for his loans without his permission, using credentials provided when Mr Goh moved into Vincent’s flat.
The calls stopped after he blocked the loan sharks’ number on advice from the police.
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Mr Goh suspects Vincent faced an urgent need for money because of his gambling habit, which he may have been forced to finance through illegitimate means.
While the police have responded that the victims cannot pursue the case further against a deceased person, a legal professional interviewed by 8 DAYS suggests they can still obtain compensation from assets left behind by the deceased, if there are any.
If the assets have been transferred to a third party, the victims can also press for compensation from their recipient.
Feature Image: Tang Yan Song / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purposes only)
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