The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) launched the annual Festive Season Crime Prevention Campaign on 20 November 2016 at Rivervale Plaza.
A new anti-scam helpline and an anti-scam television commercial were launched by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security.
When In Doubt, Call Anti-Scam Helpline – 1800-722-6688
As scammers’ ploys get more creative and sophisticated, the NCPC has launched the anti-scam helpline. Members of the public can call the helpline from 21 November 2016 to seek advice on scams.
Mr Tan Kian Hoon, Chairman of NCPC, said: “Scams evolve very quickly and for those who do not have access to the Internet, it might take some time before they hear of it from their friends or loved ones. We hope that this helpline can act as an additional channel for us to reach out to this group of people so as to prevent a scam from happening.”
The helpline operates from Mondays to Fridays (closed on PHs), from 9am – 5pm.
Don’t Panic. Don’t Believe. Don’t Give Television Commercial
A new anti-scam TV commercial was produced by the NCPC and Police. It will be aired on MediaCorp Channel 5 and 8 from 20 November 2016.
The TV commercial opens with con artists being nominated for the “Black Heart Awards (黑 心 大 奖 2016)”. Featuring local celebrity, Mr Li Nanxing, it highlights 3 common scams in Singapore: Impersonation scam, Internet Love scam and Credit-for-Sex scam. Being highly versatile and unscrupulous, the scammers in the commercial are able to defraud victims of large amounts of money. Viewers of the commercial are reminded: Don’t Panic. Don’t Believe. Don’t Give (别 慌 。别 信 。别 给 ).
Mr Li said: “I’m happy to be a part of this production as I can do my part to help spread the anti-scam message. As a veteran actor who has been in this industry for close to 30 years, I must admit that my acting skills are not as good as these con artists because they are so good that they are able cheat so much from our Singapore residents!”
The Importance of Education
As part of NCPC continuous efforts to prevent cybercrimes and educating youths on how to use the Internet safely, they also collaborated with a group of Nanyang Polytechnic students to develop a mobile game app – CYRO Quest - to educate children from 10 to 12 years old on cyber wellness and security. The game app is free for download on iTunes and Google Play stores.
DPM Teo Chee Hean (centre) launching the Anti-Scam Helpline with (from left to right) Mr Li Nanxing, Mr Tan Kian Hoon, Chairman, National Crime Prevention Council, Mr David Chew, Director, Commercial Affairs Department and Assistant Commissioner of Police Lian Ghim Hua, Commander, Ang Mo Kio Division.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
20 November 2016 @ 2:00 PM