People walk past a poster warning of scam threats in Singapore. The latest measures target so-called scam mules, people who scammers recruit to help move ill-gotten funds, or who allow their mobile phone lines or accounts to be used to conduct telephone and internet scams. — AFP
Singapore authorities will begin restricting access to key banking and telecom services for individuals who are linked to scam activities, toughening its attempts to curb online financial crimes.
The latest measures target so-called scam mules, people who scammers recruit to help move ill-gotten funds, or who allow their mobile phone lines or accounts to be used to conduct telephone and Internet scams.
A new "facility restriction framework” will be implemented in phases starting October, according to a joint statement from the Singapore Police Force, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and other government bodies on Wednesday.
Under it, individuals involved in scam activities could lose their access to digital banking services, ATMs and card-based transactions. Offenders could also be prohibited from subscribing to new mobile phone lines – and in some cases, prevented from using their government-issued Singpass accounts to register for services that could be exploited for scams.
Singapore recorded 19,665 scam cases in the first half of 2025, resulting in losses of S$456.4mil (RM1.49bil), according to government data. While the case count was down 26% from the same period a year ago, the city-state’s authorities remain alarmed at the pervasiveness of the problem.
Scammers rely heavily on local bank accounts to electronically transfer stolen funds between institutions and overseas, and often use accounts belonging to mules for those purpose, according to Wednesday’s statement. It said scammers also are increasingly exploiting the anonymity of cryptocurrency transactions to move illicit funds.
Scammers also seek local phone numbers to contact potential victims, as Singaporeans are more likely to respond to calls or texts from domestic numbers rather than foreign ones. There has also been an increase in scam operations using phone lines registered under corporate entities.
Earlier this year, Singapore passed a new law that would allow the police to control the bank accounts of individuals who they suspect to be scam targets and limit what transactions they can do. Such restriction orders last for 30 days and can be extended up to five times. – Bloomberg
