Tapping partnerships and people to raise scam awareness
Amid the rising number of incidents, StanChart is leveraging its networks and resources to teach seniors how to better protect themselves online
“THERE are so many scams around us,” said Zaiton Bte Kiran, who just attended a workshop last month to improve her digital literacy skills and understand how to better protect herself online.
Scams have indeed been on the rise in Singapore, with overall cases up by 16.3 per cent in the first half of 2024, compared with 2023. The majority of these cases involved self-effected transfers, meaning that the victims were manipulated into transferring money on their own to the scammers.
During the session at Standard Chartered Bank’s (StanChart) Changi Business Park office, the 60-year-old housewife joined 120 fellow seniors aged 50 to 90 for a hands-on lesson on how to identify and respond to fake friend, investment and phishing scams.
She said that she attended the workshop because she wanted to learn how to spot the different types of scams and avoid becoming a fraud victim. “With the help of the volunteers from StanChart, I am now more aware and confident in protecting myself from falling into a scammer’s trap,” she said.
The workshop was one of a series of monthly digital clinics for seniors – held from August 2024 to February 2025 – by StanChart, in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). During the event, 70 StanChart volunteers joined IMDA’s digital ambassadors to cover various digital literacy topics and raise awareness of fraud.
The initiative was done as part of Project V, a corporate volunteering programme by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to encourage and support sustainable volunteering efforts.
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The fraud awareness clinics, together with StanChart’s other community efforts, represent the bank’s commitment to creating a positive social impact, said its Singapore and Asean CEO Patrick Lee. The bank will work with its community partners and various government agencies to identify and curate anti-scam activations for the rest of the year.
“As one of the earliest international banks to establish our presence here, we have been leveraging our resources, including our employee volunteers, and collaborating with like-minded partners to serve different communities and create a more inclusive and caring society for all,” Lee said.
Partnerships and strengths
StanChart acknowledged that its status as an international cross-border bank meant that it had an important role in addressing financial crime in the community.
A key part of this involves leveraging its networks to collaborate with other organisations and harnessing their respective strengths, it said. The bank has worked with public sector bodies, including the Ministry of Social and Family Development and NCSS, as well as social service agencies to identify societal needs and channel resources efficiently.
“We partner with organisations that share our commitment to driving positive change in our communities – like-minded collaborators who understand societal needs and have the expertise to deliver meaningful impact on the ground,” said Lee.
For the fraud awareness digital clinics, StanChart partnered IMDA, whose digital ambassadors taught the seniors digital literacy subjects including how to identify and protect themselves from different types of scams. The bank also tapped its own fraud operations team to share with them about the banking industry’s efforts to combat scams.
Other partners also played vital roles. Social service agencies FaithActs and Presbyterian Community Services recruited the seniors who participated in the workshops, and provided insights on the digital literacy curriculum.
For the event attended by Zaiton, representatives from the Singapore Police Force and the National Crime Prevention Council were on-site to provide additional tips to the seniors.
To keep things fun and accessible, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore set up activity booths on cybersafety, while the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) brought out its anti-scam mascot Canny the chameleon to meet and engage the participants.
On a broader level, StanChart’s involvement as a season sponsor in NVPC’s Great Singapore Give (GSG) campaign also enabled it to team up with diverse organisations to impact the community in fresh ways.
In 2024, the bank participated in the FairPrice Group Share-A-Textbook initiative to sort and distribute used textbooks, and mobilised volunteer running buddies to help persons with disabilities to train and participate in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Last month, StanChart brought a group of children from lower-income families on a guided supermarket trip to teach them basic financial concepts.
The bank said that its engagement with GSG marks its own way of celebrating Singapore’s 60th year of independence; it has operated here for more than 165 years.
“Global corporates like Standard Chartered have the privilege and responsibility of being changemakers who can drive impactful societal change through our initiatives or by inspiring others on their corporate purpose journeys,” it said.
Building a culture of volunteerism
Besides external partnerships, StanChart’s own employees are “at the heart of our community impact strategy”, and that it was important to create an encouraging and sustainable environment for employee volunteerism, in addition to leveraging the diverse skill sets of its talent pool.
“We give each colleague three days of paid volunteering leave annually to support a social cause of their choice,” said the bank. “Many of our longstanding flagship employee volunteering programmes have been initiated and championed by colleagues who are passionate about making a positive difference in the community.”
One such example is StanChart’s participation in the Community Chest’s annual Fu Dai initiative, in which festive bags are packed and distributed to seniors and families in need during the Lunar New Year.
Having supported the initiative every year since its inception 12 years ago, the bank continued the tradition this year, with over 600 employee volunteers coming together to pack close to 3,500 Fu Dai “prosperity bags” and deliver them to more than 800 families over the festive period.
For this iteration, StanChart decided to include a fraud prevention element to align it with its other efforts in this area. Volunteers shared scam awareness messages as they made their door-to-door deliveries, and the bank invited ABS to include collaterals of its anti-scam mascot Canny in the prosperity bags.
Lee noted that besides the positive community impact, the culture of giving and volunteerism also benefited the bank, not least by enhancing employee satisfaction, providing a platform for leadership development, and building camaraderie.
Patrick Kuan, senior manager of service and operations at StanChart’s international banking division, said that he appreciated the Fu Dai initiative because it gave him the opportunity to interact with people of different backgrounds from both within and beyond the bank. He has volunteered with the programme for more than 10 years.
“Giving back to the community, even in seemingly small ways, gives me a sense of pride and fulfilment,” he said. “It is a meaningful way to spend my time and reminds me of the importance of staying connected with our community. There are many impactful projects to be part of, and everyone has something to offer.”
“We believe that when we invest our time, talent and resources for the good of our communities, we unlock untapped potential that in turn drives sustainable economic growth in our markets,” said Lee.
“These initiatives also resonate with our brand promise: Here for good.”
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