Singapore plans mandatory caning for scammers with at least six strokes as scam losses hit $2.8 billion since 2020, targeting syndicates and money mules.
SINGAPORE: Singapore will introduce mandatory caning for online scammers with at least six strokes under new legislation presented to parliament.
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann announced the measures as the city-state confronts record-high scam losses.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy lost more than $2.8 billion through scams from 2020 through the first half of 2025.
Approximately 190,000 scam cases were reported during that period.
“We will introduce mandatory caning for scammers,” Sim told lawmakers during the criminal code amendment’s second reading.
“Offenders who commit scams, defined as cheating mainly by means of remote communication, will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane.”
Singapore is also intensifying its crackdown on scam syndicates.
“These syndicates mobilise significant resources to conduct and profit from scams, and have the highest level of culpability,” Sim explained.
Syndicate members and recruiters will face mandatory caning of at least six strokes.
Those assisting scammers, including money mules providing bank accounts or SIM cards, could receive up to 12 lashes under the proposed legislation.
Singapore authorities have strengthened public education efforts in recent years, including establishing a national anti-scam hotline.
The government launched the ScamShield app in 2020 to help users verify suspicious communications.
Former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed last year that he had been scammed when an online purchase never arrived.
Cyberscam hubs have proliferated across Southeast Asia, often using forced labour for romance and cryptocurrency investment schemes.
Singapore police recently seized over $115 million in assets from British-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, accused of operating forced labour camps for multi-billion dollar scam operations.
The US Justice Department unsealed an indictment this month against Chen, calling his Prince Holding Group a front for “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organisations”. – AFP
