Gibson Zeng Xianfu swindled victims worldwide through fraudulent rental listings on Airbnb.
Singapore – Gibson Zeng Xianfu, 29, was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for orchestrating one of Singapore’s largest rental scams, deceiving 68 victims from 12 countries, including Singapore, out of over $380,000. Zeng, a former sales executive at Singapore Housing Company, carried out his fraudulent scheme between 2018 and 2020, when he posted fake rental listings on Airbnb using photos from his previous job.
Zeng, who pleaded guilty to 23 counts of cheating, created fraudulent tenancy agreements to lure victims, including foreign students and locals, into paying deposits for apartments he did not own or have permission to rent out. One case involved three French nationals who paid a deposit of $9,600, only to find the unit unavailable due to bogus claims of a Covid-19 infection. Zeng’s manipulative tactics included offering false move-in dates and then disappearing after receiving payments.
Despite being arrested on February 10, 2022, and released on bail, Zeng continued scamming victims, including a Singaporean man who paid $7,000 for an apartment that was already occupied. He was finally caught and remanded after being arrested again on July 20, 2022. Further investigations revealed that Zeng’s total fraudulent earnings amounted to $383,000.
In sentencing, District Judge Prem Raj emphasized the need to deter such rental scams, highlighting the distress caused to foreign students, who were already unfamiliar with the country. Zeng’s restitution of $29,800 was also noted during the hearing. This case sheds light on the growing concern over rental scams, with 305 victims losing over $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2023 alone.
