### 1. Check the CEA Public Register
All practicing real estate salespersons in Singapore must be registered with the **Council for Estate Agencies (CEA)**.
* Visit the official **CEA Public Register** (`cea.gov.sg`).
* **Search by Phone Number First:** Scammers often steal a legitimate agent’s name and CEA registration number (e.g., R012345A) but contact you using an unregistered mobile number. Search the exact phone number contacting you; if it does not link to the agent’s profile, treat it as an immediate red flag.
* Verify their full registered name, agency name, licence number, and photo.
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### 2. Review Track Record & Disciplinary History
On the agent's CEA profile page, verify:
* **Registration Status:** Must show **Active** (not suspended or revoked).
* **Transaction History:** Check completed residential resale and rental transactions from the past 24–36 months.
* **Disciplinary Records:** Ensure there are no active suspensions, letters of censure, or convictions.
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### 3. Request Digital CEA Estate Agent Card
Ask to view their **Digital Estate Agent Card** via their **Singpass app**. It authenticates their identity directly from government registries and displays their CEA registration number, affiliated agency, and photograph.
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### 4. Critical Red Flags & Money Rules
* **Never Transfer Monies to the Agent's Personal Account:** Agents are legally barred from handling transaction monies (option fees, downpayments, rent, or security deposits). Payments must be made directly to the seller, landlord, or the law firm’s conveyancing account via crossed cheque or PayNow to an official corporate UEN.
* **Commission Payments:** Commission fees should be paid to the licensed estate agency, not directly to an individual agent's personal bank account.
* **Refusal to Meet:** Any insistence on executing agreements or transferring holding deposits before an in-person viewing of the property is a hallmark of rental impersonation scams.
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Gan Eng Joo Onassis 颜荣裕, REALTOR®
MSc BIT (Middlesex, England, United Kingdom); BBA (South Australia)
CEA Reg No: R021244C | Singapore Line:
(+65) 88899918
Email: onassis@sgagent.com
Singapore First and Most Established Branding for Real Estate Services:
SGAgent.com | SGRealtor.com | SGCommercial.com | SGCBD.com
SG Residential and Commercial Real Estate Specialist with over 1,000 Properties across Singapore
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