Scam victims in Singapore lost S$651.8 million in 2023, with record high cases

    • The number of e-commerce scams more than doubled in 2023 to 9,783 cases, up from 4,700 in 2022.
    • The number of e-commerce scams more than doubled in 2023 to 9,783 cases, up from 4,700 in 2022. PHOTO: BT FILE
    Published Sun, Feb 18, 2024 · 07:29 PM

    DESPITE numerous media reports and warnings by the authorities about scams, the number of scam cases here hit a record high in 2023, with 46,563 cases reported.

    The police told The Straits Times on Feb 18 this is the highest number of scam cases since they started tracking scam figures in 2016.

    The number of scam cases in 2023 is a 46.8 per cent jump from the 31,728 scam cases in 2022.

    In total, scam victims in Singapore lost S$651.8 million in 2023, a slight dip from the S$660.7 million lost to scammers in 2022.

    But the amount lost to the top 10 scams rose in 2023, from S$509.2 million in 2022 to S$573.9 million in 2023.

    The annual scam figures released by the police on Feb 18 mean that more than S$2.3 billion has been lost here to scams since 2019.

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    Malware scams, which were practically unheard of previously, were among the top 10 scams of concern in 2023. A total of 1,899 cases of such scams were reported, with victims losing S$34.1 million.

    The most common ruse that victims fell prey to were job scams, with 9,914 cases reported and victims losing at least S$135.7 million. This was more than the S$117.4 million lost to job scams in 2022.

    Those aged between 30 and 49 made up more than 45 per cent of job scam victims, and scammers would often contact them via WhatsApp and Telegram.

    The police said job scams typically involve victims being offered online jobs to be performed from home. Their tasks would include liking social media posts, reviewing hotels and restaurants and completing surveys.

    To receive their commissions, victims would be asked to first transfer money to bank accounts provided by the scammers. The victims would realise they were scammed when they did not receive commissions or when the scammers became uncontactable.

    In October 2023, The Straits Times reported that a single mother of two took up a marketing job through a Facebook advertisement and lost around S$89,000 in a week to scammers.

    The second scam of concern was e-commerce scams. The numbers more than doubled in 2023, with 9,783 cases, up from around 4,700 in 2022.

    Victims lost at least S$13.9 million in 2023, down from S$21.3 million lost in 2022.

    A type of e-commerce scam includes concert ticket scams, which saw a resurgence in 2023 when more singers and acts, like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, announced concert dates in Singapore.

    In July 2023, ST reported that at least 54 victims lost over S$45,000 in less than a week in trying to get tickets to Swift’s The Eras Tour, which will be held here over six nights in March.

    A new variant of e-commerce scams also emerged in 2023 which involved items such as durians and wagyu beef being sold online at heavily discounted prices.

    Victims would lose money when scammers ask for goodwill deposits, reservation fees or delivery payments.

    Almost half of e-commerce victims were aged 30 to 49, and the two most common platforms used by scammers were Facebook and Carousell.

    Fake friend call scams were also of concern in 2023, with 6,859 cases reported. This was up from the 2,106 cases in 2022. In 2020, there were no reported cases.

    More than S$23 million was lost to this scam type in 2023, and most of the victims were aged 50 to 64. Phone calls and WhatsApp were the most common channels used by scammers to deceive victims.

    While older adults and the elderly were more likely to fall for fake friend call scams, the overall scam statistics debunked the myth that the elderly in general were the most likely to be scammed.

    The police said 73 per cent of scam victims were those below 50.

    Young adults aged between 20 and 29 mostly fell prey to job scams, while those aged 30 to 49 mostly lost money to e-commerce scams.

    The elderly, aged 65 and above, made up 7.1 per cent of scam victims. More than a third of them fell for fake friend call scams, while over 13 per cent were deceived in investment scams.

    The police said most online scams are perpetrated by scammers based outside Singapore, and such cases are difficult to investigate and prosecute.

    They said: “These scammers are typically part of organised criminal groups and run sophisticated transnational operations which are not easy to uncover or dismantle.”

    They added that recovery of funds can be difficult when the money has been transferred out of Singapore.

    The police said that in 2023, it worked with overseas law enforcement agencies to take down 19 scam syndicates, including six fake friend call scam syndicates and three phishing scam syndicates.

    More than 110 individuals based overseas, who were responsible for more than 730 scam cases, were arrested in the operations.

    In 2021, the Singapore police and overseas law enforcement agencies busted 16 scam syndicates. A total of 13 scam syndicates were taken down by the police and the authorities overseas in 2022.

    Separately, Singapore’s Anti-Scam Command, which consolidates resources and expertise in scams across all police units here, participated in an operation with global police cooperation agency Interpol. Over 2,000 individuals were investigated and more than 5,300 bank accounts frozen in the Republic, leading to over S$11.5 million recovered.

    To address the scam scourge here, an anti-scam campaign was launched by the National Crime Prevention Council in January 2023, urging the public to “ACT” against scams.

    The ACT abbreviation in the campaign tag line outlines how people can “Add” security features such as the ScamShield app, “Check” for signs, and “Tell” the authorities and others about scams.

    Commercial Affairs Department director David Chew said the global environment has changed, with technology making it easier for scammers to target victims and steal their money.

    He said: “However, human nature has not changed. Humans are still driven by the desire for connection. That’s why some still fall prey to love scams.

    “They also want to make a quick buck, which is why some fall prey to investment scams and job scams.

    “So, our job is to ensure people are aware of the dangers, and not get scammed in the first place.” THE STRAITS TIMES

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