TODAY-Feb 29
A one-stop portal for all scam-related resources will be launched as the Government studies further measures to better protect unwitting members of the public, including those who refuse to believe that they are being duped. Announcing the latest measures to combat scams on Thursday (Feb 29), Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling, said that the Government cannot fight the battle alone and would need to count on the cooperation of industry stakeholders.
This would include technology companies, which own digital channels and platforms that are being exploited by scammers. Yet some of these companies such as Meta — which own Facebook and Instagram that are among the most exploited — are refusing to cooperate and have “consistently pushed back” against the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Noting that Facebook contributed close to half of e-commerce scam cases last year, Ms Sun said: “I urge Meta to step up and do right by your users.” Ms Sun’s announcement during a parliamentary debate on MHA’s ministry’s budget came as scams continue to be a concern globally, including in Singapore. Here, the number of scams and cybercrime cases soared by 49.6 per cent to 50,376 last year. “The increase in scam numbers was largely driven by scams using social engineering and deception to manipulate victims into transferring monies,” Ms Sun said, noting that such cases account for 92 per cent of scam losses in 2023. Examples included job scams, e-commerce or fake friend call scams, where victims believe in the offers promoted to them or were convinced that the person on the other end of the line is a friend. To tackle this problem, the Government plans to enhance public education efforts by setting up a one-stop portal that consolidates anti-scam resources to make such information more easily accessible. Set to be launched later this year, the site will advise people on what to do if they think they have been cheated, how to protect themselves from getting tricked in the first place and to be alert to the latest types of scams that emerge. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/anti-scam-portal-launch-unwitting-victims-2371156
