Volunteers take to cyberspace to spot scams under new crime prevention initiative
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The initiative adapts the National Crime Prevention Council’s efforts to the digital era through outreach and new partnerships.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE – A new pilot programme has seen almost 100 volunteers patrol cyberspace to spot potential scams and suspicious activity, helping the police detect threats early and prevent scams.
Cyber Citizens on Patrol, or Cyber COP, is a joint initiative by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the police, said NCPC chairman Gerald Singham.
The volunteers, who have undergone training, started conducting online patrols in August, he added.
The initiative is part of NCPC’s efforts to adapt its crime prevention strategies to the digital era, using outreach and new partnerships to enable more Singaporeans to play a role in crime prevention.
These efforts were also reflected in the NCPC’s Crime Prevention Awards on Sept 4, where 10 organisations were lauded for their actions in preventing crime such as halting bank transfers or spotting shop theft.
The recipients are UOB, Go-Ahead Singapore, OCBC, Singapore Pools, Marina Bay Sands, Shin Min Daily News, Tower Transit, SBS Transit, M Hotel Singapore City Centre and Sian Chay Medical Institution.
Senior Minister K. Shanmugam, who presented the awards, told the media: “Now we live in a very different world. Criminals are increasingly exploiting technology. They are targeting victims in new ways.”
“Our partnership with NCPC must be even more strengthened, and it is even more important,” said Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.
Senior Minister K. Shanmugam said criminals are increasingly exploiting technology.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Singham said Cyber COP is part of NCPC’s broader push to harness the community in crime prevention, with about 200 community ambassadors taking part in around 150 events each year.
Touted as “heroes on the ground”, these ambassadors help NCPC reach more people and respond to emerging crime trends, while support from donors helps the council strengthen its crime-fighting efforts.
Singham said: “Keeping Singapore safe is a shared responsibility, and the organisations recognised this year demonstrate what that looks like in practice.
“Whether through front-line vigilance, public education, technology, partnerships, or community action, each award recipient has taken proactive steps to prevent crime and strengthen the safety of those around them.
National Crime Prevention Council chairman Gerald Singham praised the award recipients for taking proactive steps to prevent crime and enhance the safety of those around them.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
For example, SBS Transit has trained its employees, including front-line staff, to recognise, report and respond to suspicious activity.
Recounting an incident in February, interchange supervisor Chua Jin Kee said he had noticed a man squatting near a recycling bin with a shampoo bottle in his hand.
Chua kept an eye on him as he stood up and walked unsteadily with one bare foot. This behaviour raised Chua’s suspicions.
The man later stole an item from a convenience store and Chua alerted the police.
According to the police’s mid-year crime statistics released on Aug 24, shop theft was one of the top crimes of concern, with 2,095 cases recorded in the first half of 2026, up from the 2,050 cases in the first six months of 2025.
Shop theft remains one of the top offences committed by youth, most of whom target supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts, and personal care, health and wellness shops.
Another award recipient was UOB, which tackled a scam case involving a customer who visited its Clementi branch to request a blank cashier’s order with no beneficiary name. As the request was unusual, deputy branch manager Luo Lan asked about the purpose of the payment, but the customer could only say it was for a “friend”.
Luo later realised that the customer had been communicating with a scammer impersonating a police officer.
UOB deputy branch managers Luo Lan (left) and Tricia Tan showing off their award at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
During a video call, a scammer appeared in a police uniform against a backdrop resembling a police station, which led the customer to believe that he was under investigation.
By the time he arrived at the branch, he had already transferred $75,000 to the scammers. Luo’s intervention prevented him from losing a further $75,000.
In their mid-year scam statistics on Aug 26, the police noted that elderly victims had the highest average losses in scam cases.
The elderly, aged 65 and above, made up 14.4 per cent of scam victims, with the average amount lost per victim at $42,347.
Government official impersonation scams saw victims lose $90.8 million in the first half of 2025. Four in 10 victims were aged 65 and above. Ninety-four per cent of cases involved the impersonation of representatives from banks, telcos or financial institutions, as well as local government officials, through calls.