Singapore launches 24-hour anti-scam hotline

SINGAPORE: The government introduced on Friday (Sep 27) a hotline that the public can access at all hours for scam-related queries.
It is part of a package of anti-scam resources known as ScamShield Suite, which also includes the original ScamShield app, a new ScamShield website, and social channels on WhatsApp and Telegram.
The current anti-scam hotline, run by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), is open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. This will be expanded to a 24-hour service and rebranded as the ScamShield hotline. 
Its number will be shortened from 1-800-722-6688 to 1799.
Apart from offering callers the ability to check if they are unsure if something is a scam, or if they have any scam-related queries, the new hotline can also channel callers to the seven major banks in Singapore if people suspect they have been scammed and want to freeze their bank accounts.
The seven banks are: DBS/POSB, UOB, OCBC, Citibank, Maybank, Standard Chartered and HSBC.
To improve the accessibility of scam-related information and resources, authorities have consolidated anti-scam information online into a website, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF), NCPC and Open Government Products (OGP) in a joint press release on Friday.
Resources on the one-stop portal will include advisories on the latest scam trends, steps to take if someone has been scammed, and preventive measures individuals can take to avoid getting scammed. 
The website will also host an online chat function, which members of the public can use to chat with the ScamShield helpline operators. 
Along with the new ScamShield website, the launch of the new anti-scam suite also includes rebranding the existing NCPC ScamAlert channels to ScamShield Alert. 
The existing channels currently have over 35,000 subscribers on WhatsApp and Telegram. 
These channels will continue to regularly push scam-related advisories and bite-sized information updating subscribers on trending scam variants as well as sharing ways to be protected from scams. 
The Scamshield Suite helps consolidate the different anti-scam channels and initiatives under a single name.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, who attended the NCPC gala dinner on Friday where ScamShield Suite was officially launched, spoke of the changing crime landscape in Singapore.
While physical crime has stayed consistently low for years, scams and cybercrime have gone up, he said. 
A total of 26,587 scam cases were reported in the first half of 2024 – a 16.3 per cent increase compared to the same time period last year – with at least S$385.6 million (US$295 million) lost – a 24.6 per cent increase.
Youths, young adults and adults under the age of 50 make up the majority of scam victims at 74.2 per cent.
However, the average amount lost per elderly victim was the highest among the age groups.
The government also said that 86 per cent of total reported scams in the first half of 2024 had involved mostly self-effected transfers. 
This may be a result of deception and social engineering involving an array of complex scam methods, it added. 
“Individuals must continue to play their part in strengthening their resilience against scams,” SPF, NCPC and OGP said. 
“We urge the public to actively utilise the ScamShield Suite of resources to safeguard themselves and their loved ones from scam threats.”