Scam tracker: What are the trends in Singapore and how much money has been lost in 2026?

SINGAPORE – Scams are a significant problem in Singapore, having cost victims more than $4 billion since 2019.

The number of cases climbed to record highs, falling only recently for the first time in eight years.

In 2025, there were a total of 37,308 cases with $913.1 million lost.

Of this sum, the police have recovered about $140.5 million.

March

There were more than 2,700 cases of scams reported in March, with victims losing over $56.6 million.

At least 20 of these cases involved the impersonation of educational institutions, with victims losing $31,000.

Victims received e-mails requesting urgent payment of outstanding school or tuition fees, warning them that failing to do so quickly would result in legal action against them.

These were sent from compromised student accounts or from e-mail domains similar to the official accounts of educational institutions.

The e-mails contained text documents that looked like real payment letters, and included bank account details to send money to.

As these were text documents that were sent as an attachment, they were able to bypass weaker spam filters.

Victims only realised they were scammed after seeking verification from their school, or after receiving relevant alerts and anti-scam advisories.

The police advised people to exercise caution when receiving e-mails requesting payment, and to check with the relevant institutions via official channels before transferring any fees.

February

There were more than 2,300 cases of scams reported in February, with victims losing over $40.4 million.

Over 750 of these cases were e-commerce scams that involved pre-orders on online platforms, with victims losing more than $1.3 million.

On online platforms like Carousell, victims came across ads for pre-orders for items such as Pokemon trading cards or K-pop items.

When they expressed interest, scammers persuaded them to make deposits or advanced payments.

Delivery of the items was promised on specific dates, which were typically months away.

Victims would only realise they were scammed after failing to receive the items, or when the sellers became uncontactable.

The police reminded people to only pay using secure payment options, such as those offered by the e-commerce platform.

Alternatively, they should pay with cash on delivery, which allows them to inspect the products before making payment.

January

There were more than 2,800 cases of scams reported in January, with victims losing over $47.4 million.

More than 185 of these cases were phishing scams involving fake buyers on online platforms, in which victims lost more than $825,000.

Scammers approached victims on Carousell or Facebook Marketplace, indicating interest in items being sold.

They impersonated either the platform itself or an intermediary like Lalamove, sending fake messages or e-mails with phishing links supposedly to confirm the sale of the items.

Victims clicked on the links and provided their banking or card credentials, thinking these would be used to receive the proceeds of the sale.

They realised they were scammed only after finding unauthorised transactions on their cards and accounts.

The police reminded people to never provide their banking login details to anyone. They should check links to websites carefully, and report fraudulent transactions to the bank immediately.

ScamShield

First launched as an app in 2020, ScamShield has become a core initiative in Singapore’s fight against scams.

It was relaunched in 2024 as the ScamShield Suite, bringing together anti-scam resources from the National Crime Prevention Council and police, with support from Open Government Products, a division of the Government Technology Agency.

The suite includes the ScamShield app, helpline and website.

People are encouraged to download the ScamShield app on their mobile devices to check suspicious calls, websites and messages to find out if they are scams. The app is available on both iPhone and Android.

They can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg to find out more about the latest scam trends.

Anyone who has fallen for a scam should immediately make a police report and inform their relevant financial institutions.

If in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield helpline on 1799.