SINGAPORE - Technology has made life more convenient but it also poses significant risks as some use it to carry out harmful activities such as scams, and public education is key to mitigating the threats.
Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong, making this point on Sunday, also said scams, phishing and cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns do not just threaten people's money and time.
He added: "They also undermine social cohesion when people become less trusting of one another in a society where we're trying to make ourselves more tightly knit."
Mr Tong, who is also Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, was speaking to around 200 lawyers who do pro bono work, partners and guests at the launch on Sunday of the eighth edition of Law Awareness Weeks@CDC (Law@CDC).
This year's series of legal talks, aimed at equipping the public with basic legal knowledge, has a focus on cyber safety and features 11 live-streamed webinars from Sept 27 to Oct 27 on this topic and more.
Singapore saw 14,349 scam cases from January to June, up from 7,746 in the same period last year. The most common types of scams included job, phishing, e-commerce and investment scams.
Noting that online threats involve anonymous adversaries who are not bound by geography, he said: "The digital domain is fraught with danger... If one is not guided and doesn't have access to tools and information (to protect oneself), it can be a very troubling and traumatic experience."
He added: "Scams and scammers have of course been around for a long time, exploiting the fears and hopes of victims. But now there is a platform, an unknown platform, on which this is being done."
Law enforcement goes a long way in curbing online threats but upstream efforts are also key as people would then know they have avenues to get help, he added.
The webinars in this year's Law@CDC will discuss topics such as how to spot and avoid scams, and shop online safely. The sessions also dive into other legal issues in areas such as divorce, employment, legacy planning and neighbour disputes.
Those interested can go to this website for more information.
The event is jointly organised by Singapore's five Community Development Councils (CDCs); Law Society Pro Bono Services, which will be renamed Pro Bono SG later this year; National University of Singapore (NUS); Singapore Management University; Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS); and Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.
The CDCs and Law Society Pro Bono Services also signed a two-year memorandum of understanding on Sunday with Singapore Police Force, National Crime Prevention Council and NUS Pro Bono Group.
These parties will come on board to raise awareness about cyber safety, provide legal advice and help to refer members of the public to enforcement agencies, beyond the annual Law@CDC programme.
Fifty-eight lawyers and student volunteers also received certificates of appreciation on Sunday in acknowledgement of their efforts to help the community.
They include Mr Richard Siaw, director of law firm R. S. Solomon, who has been giving talks on various legal issues for the past eight years. The most recent one was with new migrant students and residents here, and it focused on how they can guard against scams.
"Perpetrators use our fear and greed, and we are at times very vulnerable. If they hit us at the right time, and we are somehow not guarded, we can fall prey to such scams. I don't think anybody is immune," said the assistant superintendent of police-turned-lawyer.
He recalled a recent case his firm handled, where a teenage boy found himself tangled in a government impersonator scam. The boy received a call from someone claiming to be from the Chinese police, who accused him of being part of a scam and asked him to clear his name by being their "agent" and performing various tasks.
"They even gave him $500 to buy a suit and shoes. This is the first time I have come across an impersonator who actually wired money into the (victim's) account first. It was so believable," said Mr Siaw.
His law firm's R.S. Solomon Foundation has partnered Law Society Pro Bono Services, Tian De Temple and SUSS to launch a community law centre in Singapore's north-east area to help those facing legal challenges.
Mr Siaw said: "The calling of every lawyer is to serve the community. In our line of work, we encounter cases where we've thought that if we do more, vulnerable residents in Singapore can actually receive timely help."
