Synopsis: This is a special-edition podcast series by The Straits Times to raise greater public awareness of the modern scourge of scams in Singapore and globally.
In Singapore, nearly $1 billion has been lost by scam victims since 2016. Mutating and spreading, different types of scams have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, from romance to work. The police are cracking down on offenders. What can you do to protect yourself?
In the series’ fifth episode, ST’s deputy news editor Andre Yeo, crime correspondent David Sun and journalist Jessie Lim speak with Mr Willis Lim, director of the National Cyber Threat Analysis Centre, the research division of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) that oversees Singapore's cyber security strategy. Mr Lim talks about the ways cyber criminals identify potential victims and new scams the CSA is seeing in 2022.
Mr Lim explains why the use of Singlish words, which are not commonly found in most dictionaries, makes it much harder for cyber criminals to crack your passwords. He also provides tips on how Singaporeans can protect themselves from tech support scams.
Highlights (click/tap above):
8:49 How cyber criminals look for victims’ personal particulars online and on the Dark Web
9:36 Why Mr Willis Lim stopped his mother from throwing his phone bill into the dustbin
11:10 Scams the Cyber Security Agency is seeing in 2022, such as phishing and tech support scams
20:30 How to set a strong password using Singlish and unique passphrases
21:50 How tech support scams work and the steps you can take to protect yourself
28:29 The dollar value of personal data stolen from data breaches
Listen to earlier Stop Scams podcasts: https://str.sg/wuZB
Ep 1 - Near impossible to recover your money once scammers transfer it out of Singapore
Ep 2 - How scammers are buying bank accounts and digital identities of youth for misuse
Ep 3 - Why children are more susceptible to scams than adults
Ep 4 - How to spot a victim of a scam
Produced by: Andre Yeo (andrey@sph.com.sg), Jessie Lim (ljessie@sph.com.sg), David Sun (davidsun@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai and Paxton Pang
Edited by: Eden Soh
Read ST's Stop Scams articles: https://str.sg/wWt9
• Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688 (9am - 5pm); https://www.scamalert.sg/
• National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am - 12am); https://ccs.org.sg/nch/
Follow ST's Stop Scams podcast series here:
Stop Scams Channel: https://str.sg/wuZB
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3e
Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJj
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Andre Yeo's articles: https://str.sg/wWtC
David Sun's articles: https://str.sg/wWty
Jessie Lim's articles: https://str.sg/wWtF
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Discover ST's special edition podcasts:
Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2
Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB
Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn
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Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE
Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas
Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ
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