SINGAPORE (Bernama): Singapore’s new law, which enables the police to better protect individuals targeted by ongoing scams, will come into effect on Tuesday (July 1), according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The Protection from Scams Act 2025, passed by Parliament on Jan 7, empowers police officers and commercial affairs officers appointed under Section 64 of the Police Force Act to issue Restriction Orders (ROs) to banks, restricting banking and credit facilities of an individual under certain circumstances.
"The decision to issue an RO will be made by a police officer based on an assessment of the facts and circumstances of each case.
"The police may consider relevant information provided by the individual or their family members in making the decision,” MHA said in a statement Monday, adding that it will be issued only as a last resort, after all other options to convince the individual have been exhausted.
A police officer may issue an RO to a bank if there is reasonable belief that it is necessary to protect the individual, and that they may execute a money transfer to a scammer, withdraw money with the intention of giving it to a scammer, or apply for or draw down on any credit facility with the intention of benefiting a scammer.
The RO will be issued by default to the seven major retail banks that manage most of the consumer deposits in Singapore: DBS Bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, United Overseas Bank, Citibank, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Malayan Banking Berhad, and Standard Chartered Bank.
It can also be issued to other banks.
Individuals subject to an RO can expect their banking facilities, including money transfers, ATM, and credit facilities such as credit card transactions and access to personal loan facilities, to be restricted.
However, they will still be allowed access to their monies for legitimate needs, such as daily expenses and bill payments.
Requests for access to funds will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, upon application to the police.
Each RO will be valid for up to 30 days at a time and may be extended up to five times, with each extension lasting a maximum of 30 days.
The order may also be revoked earlier if the individual is assessed to be no longer at risk of being scammed.
Individuals or any joint account holder of the individual’s bank account may appeal the RO decision to the Commissioner of Police. It will remain in effect pending the outcome of the appeal.
"The decision of the Commissioner of Police is final,” MHA said. - Bernama
