COMMENTARY: With the Covid-19 situation, scammers are looking to prey on our concerns, fears and needs.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Julius Lim, Commander of Bedok Police Division, writes about how the police are seeing a sharp spike in reports of online scams in Singapore, and how people can be more vigilant during this period.
"Our streets may be quiet during the Covid-19 period, but criminals are not asleep."
By Julius Lim
On Apr. 21 2020, PM Lee announced tighter measures to the Circuit Breaker – more closures of businesses, more restrictions on movement.
Amid these stricter measures, we retained some semblance of normalcy thanks to the Internet. We have been able to continue teleworking, shopping, studying, playing and connecting with friends.
Beware the scam epidemic
But while we turn to the internet to help with our needs, we must not forget the dangers lurking beneath.
Over the past seven years, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has noticed a steady climb in cheating cases, driven by e-commerce scams as well as other types of scams.
In 2019, scams rose by 54 per cent to 3,313 cases as compared to 2018. More than S$172.5 million was lost to scams that year.
Spike in online scams during the Covid-19 period
Now, with the Covid-19 situation, the Police are seeing a sharp spike in reports of online scams, especially those related to e-commerce scams.
At first, we saw scams relating to the sale of face masks, which quickly expanded to the sale of game consoles (as people are cooped up at home and need alternative outlets of entertainment), and then the sale of laptops (as people need to study and work from home).
Scammers typically tout low prices for these goods, which inevitably attract unwitting customers looking for good deals online.
The statistics paint a worrying picture.
Between January and March 2020, e-commerce scam cases increased by 116.2 per cent to 1,159 cases, from 536 cases in the same period last year. The total amount cheated increased to over S$1.3 million, from S$469,000 in the same period last year.
But this situation is not unique to Singapore. Around the world, there have been reports of significant upticks in Covid-19 related scams in the U.S. and UK.
We need to respond, to prevent a scam epidemic on our hands, even as we cope with a virus pandemic.
Stronger enforcement, deeper partnerships
At a time when everyone is under heightened stress due to the Covid-19 situation, these online scams are wholly unacceptable and morally reprehensible. They exploit the vulnerable and capitalise on people’s fears. They must be stopped.
Between Feb. 1, 2020 and Apr. 6, 2020, SPF conducted island-wide operations and arrested 22 individuals who were responsible for e-commerce scams involving close to S$745,000.
SPF’s Anti-Scam Centre partners banks to freeze bank accounts to disrupt scam operations and mitigate monetary losses.
It also works with telecommunication companies to terminate scam-related phone numbers, and with online marketplaces to block suspicious online advertisements and monikers.
Online businesses
Online businesses are starting to understand the importance of keeping their platforms safe for their customers.
For example, Carousell, which has seen a surge in scams involving surgical masks, sanitisers and thermometers, has put in place a series of measures. These include inserting in-app pop-up messages to display tips to buyers and sellers on how to protect themselves from scams.
It is also heavily promoting Carousell Protection (escrow payment) for the sales of all products.
Police working with govt agencies
The Police are also working with other Government agencies to combat scams. The Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams, led by SPS Sun Xueling, was set up in March 2020 to coordinate this effort.
It pools resources across agencies to facilitate more effective execution of anti-scam strategies.
For example, the Government has worked with telcos to block international calls that spoof local emergency numbers, eg. 999 and 995. From Apr. 15, the ‘+’ sign prefix is also displayed on all callers’ screens when there are international incoming calls. This helps the public be more vigilant to possible scam calls.
However, as with all types of crime, enforcement measures by the Police are not enough.
By the time the Police is involved, scam victims would have lost their hard-earned money, and there is no guarantee that it can be recovered.
To truly fight scams, we need to go upstream to prevent scams from happening in the first place.
The good news: scams can be prevented
Even as we beef up enforcement and leverage technology to combat scams, ultimately, public awareness is the surest way to inoculate and prevent would-be victims. If everyone is able to spot and report online scams, scammers will be frustrated.
At Bedok Police Division, we realise that while many victims are aware of online scams, they never thought that they would fall prey themselves. It is precisely this misplaced belief that allows the scammers to succeed.
So, please beware. Scammers look to prey on our concerns, fears and needs, which the Covid-19 situation has exacerbated. Everyone, including you, can be a victim, if we let our guard down.
The next time you are thinking of buying something online, follow these simple rules to avoid falling prey to scams:
- Check the seller’s reviews;
- Ask for cash on delivery where possible; or
- Use services that release your money only upon delivery.
Never share your one-time passwords (OTPs) for online transactions with anyone. Many victims were scammed because they shared their OTPs with scammers who gained access to their accounts to make fraudulent online purchases.
We can beat scams
Remember: while our streets are getting quieter, the hum of Internet traffic is getting louder. Scammers are lurking online and more victims are falling prey by the day.
Like the Covid-19 situation, defeating scams is a long, hard fight. But unlike the Covid-19 situation, there is currently a vaccine for scams: You.
If we all exercise more caution in how we use the Internet, just as we do with safe distancing, we can stay safe online.
Top photo via @thedotter & De An Sun / Unsplash