Duped Singaporeans: The most tech-savvy targets in history

Singapore is more educated, digitally connected and cyberaware than at any point in our history, a point of national pride as we celebrate our 60th year of independence. Yet paradoxically,

scams continue to extract hundreds of millions of dollars from victims every year

– increasingly from well-informed, digital-native residents, people whom we least expect to fall prey.

According to the

Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief 2026,

scams accounted for 88.9 per cent of 41,974 scam and cybercrime cases reported. While the total number of scam cases decreased by 27.6 per cent to 37,308 cases in 2025, the losses remain high, at $913.1 million. As one of the safest and most affluent cities in the world, our openness, trust and digital sophistication have made us more attractive targets.