Scam victims in Singapore lost at least $633.3 million last year

Victims in Singapore lost at least $633.3 million to scams last year, the police said yesterday in releasing the crime figures for 2021.

The sum lost is almost 21/2 times the $268.4 million stolen by scammers the previous year.

Police said at least 90 per cent of scams in Singapore originate from overseas, and described the scammers as syndicated, well resourced and technologically sophisticated.

"Such cases are difficult to investigate and prosecute as our efforts will be dependent on the level of cooperation from overseas law enforcement agencies," they added.

Recovery is also difficult when the monies stolen have been moved overseas, police said, adding that at the rate at which new scam variants are surfacing, "a discerning and well-informed public" is the best defence.

Job scams, which were not even among the top 10 scams in 2020, were the most common ruse last year with 4,554 cases, up from 132 the year before.

There are numerous variants in existence, from fake mobile apps to persuading victims to purchase movie tickets and then resell them to earn a commission. Victims are lured by the convenience of easy jobs, which can purportedly be done remotely as well as the promise of high commissions.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Aileen Yap, assistant director of the Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Division, said the pandemic contributed to the rise in job scams. "A lot of people lost their jobs. A lot of people are looking for part-time jobs to supplement household expenses," she said.

Investment scams accounted for the largest amount of money stolen, with victims losing $190.9 million in total. The largest amount taken in a single case was $6.4 million.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan, who spoke in Parliament on Tuesday on the subject, said 5,020 of the 23,931 scams reported last year involved phishing. There were only 16 phishing scam cases reported in 2017.

Commenting on the OCBC Bank phishing scam that began last December, Mr Tan said: "The use of a combination of highly orchestrated tactics, involving spoofed SMSes appearing in the same thread as genuine messages from the bank and links directing victims to a scam website, as well as the large number of customers targeted... show that now, the threat is significantly heightened."

Police said they were also concerned about the increase in cyber extortion cases and reports of molestation on public transport.

In cyber extortion cases, criminals typically befriend victims online and coax them into performing compromising or indecent acts in front of a camera before extorting money from them.

Police said there were 420 cases last year, up from 245 the previous year. Victims of cyber extortion last year lost at least $1.3 million.

As for outrage of modesty, police said there were 1,480 cases last year, up from 1,321 in 2020. Of the cases last year, 918 involved culprits known to the victim.

The police added that the number of outrage of modesty incidents on public transport remains a concern, with at least 148 such cases reported last year. The culprits in these cases were unknown to the victims.

Police said the 52.9 per cent increase in scam cases drove up the total number of reported cases last year, in a year that saw a decrease in physical crimes. For example, theft and housebreaking reached a 37-year low. They attributed the decline in physical crimes to crime prevention efforts, police presence and the use of technology such as police cameras.

Theft and its related crimes dropped by 8 per cent to 6,843 cases, while housebreaking and related crimes fell by 23.8 per cent to 160 cases last year.

Mr David Chew, director of the police's Commercial Affairs Department, said: "We are working at an unprecedented pace to make sure that we keep everyone safe from scams."

He added: "While the police will endeavour to safeguard the public from crime, combating scams is a community effort, and the best defence against scams is an alert and discerning public."