While staff from banks and remittance firms can play an instrumental role in checking the increase in the number of scams, the onus is on individuals to safeguard themselves ("Staying one step ahead of conmen to stop scams"; Oct 15).

It is sad that despite scam cases receiving much publicity in the media over the past few months, there are still people who fall prey to fraudsters.

Most victims are reportedly elderly women who were remitting money without being accompanied by family members. It is possible that they live alone, without anyone to confide in or consult over such matters.

There will be cases of genuine transactions, and bank and remittance company staff may offend customers who feel they are being treated as potential scam victims.

Hence, it is imperative that family members are able to monitor their elderly parents' bank accounts and be in the loop if a large amount of money is to be transacted.

Given that older people are more vulnerable to conmen, grassroots organisations and the police should jointly come up with preventive measures to stem the rise in the number of scams.

Police alerts on the latest criminal fraud cases are very useful, and the public can play an equally important role by being more wary when strangers try to coax them into parting with their money.

Jeffrey Law Lee Beng