SINGAPORE - Despite numerous media reports and warnings by the authorities about scams, the number of cases here hit a record high in 2023.
There were 46,563 cases reported in 2023, and the police told The Straits Times on Feb 18 that this is the highest number of scam cases since they started tracking them in 2016. The 2023 figure is up 46.8 per cent from the 31,728 cases in 2022.
In total, scam victims in Singapore lost $651.8 million in 2023, a slight dip from the $660.7 million lost to scammers in 2022. The total amount lost among the top 10 scams rose in 2023 to $573.9 million, from $509.2 million in 2022.
The annual figures released by the police on Feb 18 mean that more than $2.3 billion has been lost to scams since 2019.
Malware scams, which were practically unheard of previously, were among the top 10 scams of concern in 2023. There were 1,899 such cases reported, with $34.1 million lost.
The most common ruse victims fell prey to was job scams, with 9,914 cases reported and at least $135.7 million lost in total, up from $117.4 million in 2022.
Over 45 per cent of job scam victims were 30 to 49 years old, with scammers often contacting them via WhatsApp and Telegram.
The police said victims were typically offered online jobs working from home. Their tasks included liking social media posts, reviewing hotels and restaurants, and completing surveys.
To receive their commissions, victims had to transfer money to bank accounts provided by scammers. They would realise they had been scammed only when they stopped receiving commissions or could no longer contact the scammers.
In October 2023, The Straits Times reported that a single mother of two took up a marketing job through a Facebook advertisement and lost around $89,000 in a week to scammers.
The second scam of concern was e-commerce scams, which more than doubled in 2023 with 9,783 cases, up from around 4,700 in 2022. Victims lost at least $13.9 million in 2023, down from $21.3 million in 2022.
One e-commerce scam involved concert tickets, which saw a resurgence in 2023 when more acts, like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, announced performances in Singapore.
In July 2023, ST reported that at least 54 victims lost over $45,000 in less than a week trying to get tickets to Swift’s The Eras Tour, due to be held here over six nights in March 2024.
A new variant of e-commerce scams emerged in 2023 involving items such as durians and wagyu beef sold online at huge discounts. Victims would lose money when scammers asked for goodwill deposits, reservation fees or delivery fees.
Almost half of e-commerce scam victims were aged 30 to 49, and the two most common platforms used by scammers were Facebook and Carousell.
Fake friend call scams were also of concern in 2023, with 6,859 cases reported, up from the 2,106 in 2022. In 2020, no cases were reported.
More than $23 million was lost to this scam in 2023, with most victims aged 50 to 64. Phone calls and WhatsApp were the most common channels used by such scammers to deceive victims.
While many would think that older adults and the elderly would more likely fall for scams, the overall statistics debunked the belief. The police said 73 per cent of scam victims were aged below 50.
Young adults aged 20 to 29 mostly fell prey to job scams, while those aged 30 to 49 mostly lost money to e-commerce scams.
The elderly, aged 65 and above, made up 7.1 per cent of scam victims. More than a third of them fell for fake friend call scams and over 13 per cent for investment scams.
The police said most online scams are perpetrated by scammers based outside Singapore, and such cases are difficult to investigate and prosecute.
They said: “These scammers are typically part of organised criminal groups and run sophisticated transnational operations which are not easy to uncover or dismantle.”
They added that recovery of funds can be difficult when the money has been transferred out of Singapore.
The police said that in 2023, they worked with overseas law enforcement agencies to take down 19 scam syndicates, including six fake friend call scam syndicates and three phishing scam syndicates.
More than 110 individuals based overseas, who were responsible for more than 730 scam cases, were arrested in the operations.
In 2021, the Singapore police and overseas law enforcement agencies busted 16 scam syndicates. A total of 13 scam syndicates were taken down by the police and the authorities overseas in 2022.
Separately, Singapore’s Anti-Scam Command, which consolidates resources and expertise across all police units here, also participated in an operation with global police cooperation agency Interpol.
Over 2,000 individuals were investigated and more than 5,300 bank accounts frozen in the Republic, leading to more than $11.5 million recovered.
To address the scam scourge here, an anti-scam campaign was launched by the National Crime Prevention Council in January 2023, urging the public to “ACT” against scams.
The ACT acronym in the campaign tagline outlines how people can “Add” security features such as the ScamShield app, “Check” for signs of a scam, and “Tell” the authorities and others about scams.
Commercial Affairs Department director David Chew said the global environment has changed, with technology making it easier for scammers to target victims and steal their money.
“However, human nature has not changed. Humans are still driven by the desire for connection. That’s why some still fall prey to love scams.
“They also want to make a quick buck, which is why some fall prey to investment scams and job scams,” he said.
“So, our job is to ensure people are aware of the dangers, and not get scammed in the first place.”
Helplines and online resources
- Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688
- Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222
- scamalert.sg
- scamshield.org.sg
