Over $34.2 million in losses prevented after 3,500 scam attempts thwarted by police and 5 banks

Over 3,500 scam attempts were disrupted in a two-month joint operation between the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) and five banks.

Between Nov 1 and Dec 31 last year, ASC collaborated with DBS, GXS, OCBC, Standard Chartered and UOB to identify victims of e-commerce, government official impersonation, investment, job and loan scams.

More than 3,900 SMS alerts were sent to over 3,500 suspected scam victims during the operation, notifying those who had transferred money to scam-tainted accounts and advising them to cease further transfers.

"This proactive victim-centric approach potentially averted over $34.2 million in losses that could have otherwise been transferred to scammers," said the police in a news release on Jan 9.

"This operation marked the sixth collaboration in 2025 between the ASC and partnering banks to combat scams using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to detect potential scam victims.

"The year-long effort successfully alerted over 26,000 suspected victims via SMS, potentially averting over $267.5 million in losses."

Members of the public are urged to 'ACT' against scams by adopting the following precautionary measures:

1. ADD – Add the ScamShield application and set up security features such as two-factor authentication for personal accounts, such as banks, social media, and Singpass. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 info on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All info will be kept strictly confidential.

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