How to recover funds, education efforts among topics addressed

To avoid being scammed, is it possible for Singaporeans not to own a mobile phone or install a filter to get rid of overseas calls?

Mr Thomas Lim's question was among 40 sent in by a hybrid audience during The Straits Times' Stop Scams webinar yesterday.

The attendees also wanted to know more about efforts taken to educate youth about scams and what it takes to persuade reluctant scam victims that they have been cheated.

Mr Xavier Low, chief executive of the Cyber Youth Academy, said that although it is possible to entirely shut oneself off from technology, it would not be an effective way to avoid scams.

"Everyone around you would still be vulnerable... We should not be running away from this issue. Instead, we should be constantly updating ourselves," he said.

Another question came from Madam Amy C, who asked how money lost through scams could be recovered.

Responding to her question, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Aileen Yap, who is assistant director of the Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Command, said that in the next few months, the police will be doing more to recover funds for scam victims by working closely with banks.

Another question, from Mr Richard Chan, focused on how people can convince someone who is in denial that he has been scammed.

Dr Majeed Khader, chief psychologist at the Ministry of Home Affairs, said: "For love scams, there are cases where the victims are so in love with the idea of this good man.

"Even when the police tell them he is not a real person but a made-up character, they remain fixated on this idea or persona that they are in love with."

He added: "We do need good investigators and we have very good investigators (to convince victims) - that is why we have been very effective in talking to the victims."