The Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) collaborated with five banks to foil over 1,300 ongoing scams, by utilising Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to identify victims of job, investment, fake friend call, and e-commerce scams. The swift identification of victims enabled the Police and banks to promptly reach out to them to halt further monetary transfers, minimizing losses for the victims. The five participating financial institutions are DBS Bank, HSBC Bank, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and UOB Bank.
Between 1 September and 31 October 2024, the ASC officers and participating banks sent over 9,000 SMS messages to more than 6,700 bank customers identified as potential scam victims. The detection of these potential scam victims resulted in the successful disruption of over 1,338 ongoing scams and averted potential financial losses of more than $53 million.
RPA Technology
The adoption of RPA technology streamlined the sharing and processing of information, enabling the Police to swiftly reach out to potential scam victims through SMSes. The SMS alerts notified the potential scam victims to the suspicious transfers which the scammers had instructed them to perform, and advised them against effecting further transfers. Upon receiving the SMSes, most victims would realise that they had fallen prey to a scam and would come forward to lodge a police report.
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 others 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.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
08 November 2024 @ 5:35 PM