SINGAPORE — Scammers convicted in Singapore now face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes in the most serious cases, as a new law authorizing the punishment came into effect amid record financial losses linked to fraud and online syndicates.
The Ministry of Home Affairs framed the move as a hard reset in the city-state’s fight against a wave of cyber-enabled crime that has swept Southeast Asia, saying “fighting scams is a top national priority.” Authorities have cast the penalties as aimed squarely at organized networks and their recruiters, not just front-end perpetrators.
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From 2020 through the first half of 2025, Singapore — Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy — lost more than $2.8 billion to scams, with roughly 190,000 cases reported over that period, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann told parliament last month while advocating for the bill’s passage.
Under the law, scammers and members of scam syndicates — including recruiters — face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to a maximum of 24 strokes, in addition to existing criminal penalties. Those who assist scammers, including so-called “money mules” who provide bank accounts or SIM cards used to route illicit funds and communications, face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, according to the ministry.
The escalation underscores how Singapore is tightening consequences across the scam value chain. Officials say targeting recruiters and facilitators is critical because syndicates often rely on a steady flow of locally sourced bank accounts, SIM cards and lightly involved intermediaries to mask transactions and evade detection.
The city-state has simultaneously expanded prevention and education, rolling out a national anti-scam hotline and public campaigns warning of common ruses in e-commerce, investment and impersonation. In 2020, the government launched the ScamShield app, which helps users screen suspicious calls, messages and websites and allows the public to report scam content for faster takedown.
The ubiquity of scams has reached into the highest levels of public life. Last year, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told local media he had been scammed after an item he ordered online never arrived — a small loss that underscored how even vigilant consumers can be caught out by increasingly sophisticated fraud.
Singapore’s harsher penalties arrive against a regional backdrop of sprawling cybercrime hubs that have proliferated across Southeast Asia. These operations often lure foreigners with job offers before coercing them into running online romance, cryptocurrency and investment cons at scale, according to law enforcement and rights groups.
Singapore police have said they seized more than $115 million in assets tied to Chen Zhi, a British-Cambodian tycoon accused of operating forced labor compounds in Cambodia used as multibillion-dollar scam centers. Authorities framed the seizures as part of broader efforts to disrupt cross-border syndicates and follow money trails beyond Singapore’s borders.
Officials argue the combination of tougher sentencing, disruption of syndicate logistics, and public vigilance offers the best chance of driving down losses. The government has urged consumers to verify identities, avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages and use official channels for payments, even as it leans on banks, telecoms and platforms to strengthen safeguards.
By imposing mandatory caning for serious scam offenses and widening the net to those who enable them, Singapore is signaling that deterrence will be as central to its strategy as investigation and outreach. With financial damage still mounting and syndicates adapting quickly, the effectiveness of the new penalties will be closely watched across the region.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
