The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) kicked off the Year-End Crime Prevention Campaign by launching a new mobile application (app) – ScamShield – on 20 November 2020.
Mr Desmond Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, officiated the launch event on 20 November 2020, which also saw the unveiling of a new Internet love scam video.
ScamShield - The Scam Filtering App
Scammers often initiate contact with potential scam victims through Short Message Services (SMSes) or phone calls. To prevent such SMSes and phone calls from reaching handphone users, NCPC collaborated with the Open Government Products team from Government Technology Agency to develop a mobile app, ScamShield. This app identifies and filters out scam messages through the identification of key words in such messages using artificial intelligence. The app also blocks scam messages and phone calls from phone numbers that were used in other scam cases or reported by other ScamShield app users. These two functions reduce opportunities for scammers to reach out to intended victims. Refer to the infographics in Annex A for details on how ScamShield works. ScamShield is currently only available on iOS devices and can be downloaded from the App Store.
Internet Love Scam Short Film
In the first half of 2020, 385 cases of Internet love scam were reported, with more than $13 million lost to this type of scam alone.
NCPC will be launching a short film on Internet love scams during the event, to arrest this trend and to warn members of the public of such scams. The film will be broadcasted on major TV channels and screened on various platforms to help spread the message.
The Fight Against Scams Will Continue
Mr Gerald Singham, Chairman of NCPC, said: “In the first six months of 2020, $102 million was lost to various scams and this is despite our various efforts to educate the public on scams. Scammers are hiding behind a “cloak of invisibility” provided by the Internet and this makes the fight even harder simply because we cannot see them. If we want to win this fight, we need to heighten our senses and learn to spot the various signs of a scam. We hope that with this ScamShield app, it will provide the public with some form of protection and shield them from these “invisible enemies”. While we have this app, we urge the public to continue to stay vigilant and not let their guard down.”
Staying Safe During This Festive Season
With all the major online shopping events around the corner, NCPC and the Police encourage members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures during this festive season:
E-Commerce Scams
- Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items.
- Protect yourself by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller as this method does not offer any protection.
- Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!
Internet Love Scams
- Be careful when befriending strangers online. They may not be whom they claimed to be;
- Do not send money to anyone you have not met in person;
- Do not share personal details such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, one-time passwords and personal information to strangers;
- Never allow your bank account to be used to receive and transfer money on behalf of others. You could be helping to move illegal proceeds; and
- Consult a friend or family member if you are in doubt.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
20 November 2020 @ 8:51 PM