4 in 5 scams involve victims willingly transferring money to scammers: Goh Pei Ming

About 80 per cent of scams today involve the victims willingly transferring the money to the scammers themselves, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said on Nov. 8.

Goh was speaking at the inaugural National Anti-Scam Roadshow held at Toa Payoh HDB Hub, which brings together various government agencies and community partners to raise public awareness of scams.

4 in 5 scams are self-effected

One statistic highlighted by Goh is that, about four in five scams are self-effected, meaning that the monies lost are willingly transferred by the victims themselves to the scammers.

In such cases, scammers use psychological tactics to deceive or manipulate the victims into compliance. After the victims transferred money willingly to the bank accounts of the scammers, these monies would be transferred very quickly overseas.

"The first defence starts with ourselves," said Goh, which is why the government has ramped up public education efforts, such as the “I Can ACT Against Scams” campaign.

Goh added that beyond increasing awareness, it is crucial to take action to enhance our scam resilience, help educate fellow Singaporeans, and strengthen vigilance in the community against scams.

In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 19,000 scam cases were reported, with losses from scams coming up to more than S$450 million.

A new bill passed in Parliament on Nov. 4 introduces mandatory caning as a penalty for scammers and scam mules, in a bid to create stronger deterrence against scams and scam-related offences.

Goh said in his speech:

"We have typically only reserved caning for the most serious of crimes, and therefore by imposing caning for scams, this shows how seriously we are taking this issue nationally, and that we will not let scammers, we will not let mules, continue what they have been doing. We will not tolerate this."

Those convicted of committing scams will get at least six strokes of the cane.

Precautionary measures to take

Members of the public who are dealing with scams or suspected scams can take the following precautionary measures:

• ADD

  • Add the ScamShield App to block calls and filter SMSes
  • Set transaction limits that are adequate for daily expenses
  • Lower transaction notification thresholds
  • Alert the bank immediately of any suspicious activity in your bank account
  • Activate the Money Lock feature of your bank to digitally secure your money

• CHECK – Check against the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or other official sources.
• TELL – Tell your bank immediately if you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam to block any fraudulent transactions, and then make a police report.  Report any scams to the authorities, family, and friends if or when you encounter scams.

Members of the public unsure about any request involving their money or bank account are encouraged to call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

There will also be other upcoming roadshows organised by the police and National Crime Prevention Council in the coming two months, in addition to the one at Toa Payoh this weekend.

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Top image from Canva