The Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) in collaboration with four partnering banks deployed technology in a joint operation to identify job, fake friend call and e-commerce scam victims. The partnering banks are DBS Bank, UOB Bank, OCBC Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank. The use of technology accelerates the speed of intervention of ASC and the banks, thereby mitigating financial losses for potential scam victims.
The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology was used to automate information sharing and processing, while expeditiously reaching out to potential scam victims. Potential scam victims were promptly notified through SMS alerts from the Police, which would alert them to the deceptive schemes they were entrenched in and prevent them from making any further monetary transfers. Many of these victims only realised that they had fallen prey to scams after receiving SMSes from the Police, advising them to immediately cease further monetary transfers.
During the two-month operation conducted from 1 January 2024 to 29 February 2024, ASC officers and the banks sent more than 15,000 SMSes to over 11,000 potential scam victims who are customer of the banks. This resulted in the successful disruption of over 2,700 ongoing scams and prevented potential financial losses of more than $56 million.
ACT Against Scams
The Police urge members of the public to “ACT” against scams. The ACT acronym outlines how members of the public can Add security features, Check for signs, and Tell the authorities and other about scams.
- ADD – Add security features such as the ScamShield application and two-factor authentication for personal accounts, such as banks, social media, and Singpass accounts. Transaction limits for internet banking, including PayNow, could also be set up to limit the amount of funds that can be lost in the event of a scam.
- CHECK – Check for potential signs of a scam by asking questions, fact-checking requests for personal information and money transfers, and verifying the legitimacy of online listings and reviews. Take the time to pause and check. If it is too good to be true, it is probably untrue, and a scam.
- TELL – Tell the authorities and others about scam encounters by reporting to the bank, ScamShield, or by filing a Police report. Tell others about ongoing scams and preventive steps they can take. Report the fraudulent pages and/or monikers to the respective platforms.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Anti-Scam Centre working together with four partnering banks during the two-month joint operation▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
06 March 2024 @ 3:58 PM