Synopsis: This is a new podcast by The Straits Times to raise greater public awareness of the modern scourge of scams in Singapore and globally.

In Singapore, nearly $1 billion has been lost by scam victims since 2016. Mutating and spreading, different types of scams have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, from love to work. The police are cracking down on offenders. What can you do to protect yourself?

In this episode, ST's deputy news editor Andre Yeo and journalist Jessie Lim speak with Superintendent of Police Michelle Tay, the head of the Anti-Scam Centre, launched in 2019. Their job is to disrupt the scammers’ operations and help victims to try to recover their money. 

Highlights (click/tap above):

02:15 Step-by-step guide: What to do if you're a scam victim, and what the police do when liaising with banks and fintech institutions

04:10 Why is it so hard to recover scam victims' monies once the funds are transferred out of Singapore?

05:15 What is the Community Watch Scheme and the new e-commerce Transaction Safety rating? 

07:00 What are the new scam tactics emerging in 2022? More on the pig-butchering scam which combines tactics used in love and investment scams

09:33 How scammers are targeting youths, offering up to $2,000 to buy their digital identity credentials, and why this is an offence for teenagers involved

09:56 When Supt Tay’s mother received a scam call claiming she had been kidnapped

Listen to Ep 1 - Near impossible to recover your money once scammers transfer it out of Singapore: https://str.sg/wnBi

Public can join these police schemes:

Community Watch Scheme: https://go.gov.sg/spf-cws

Crime Prevention Ambassadors: https://www.ncpc.org.sg/cpas.html

Citizens on Patrol: https://go.gov.sg/citizensonpatrol

ST's Stop Scams articles: https://str.sg/wWt9

• Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688 (9am - 5pm); https://www.scamalert.sg/

• National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am - 12am); https://ccs.org.sg/nch/

Produced by: Andre Yeo ([email protected]), Jessie Lim ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Follow ST's Stop Scams podcast series here:

Stop Scams Playlist: https://str.sg/wnBi

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wnB5

Spotify: https://str.sg/wnBS

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Andre Yeo's articles: https://str.sg/wWtC

David Sun's articles: https://str.sg/wWty

Jessie Lim's articles: https://str.sg/wWtF

Wong Shiying's articles: https://str.sg/wWtt

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Follow ST Podcasts channel:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWVR

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lu4rPP

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PwZCYU

Google podcasts: http://str.sg/googlestbt

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

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Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wsfD

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia Embed: https://str.sg/ws76

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wnBi

Discover more ST podcast series:

In Your Opinion Podcast: https://str.sg/w7Qt

SG Extra Podcast: https://omny.fm/shows/st-bt/playlists/sg-extra

Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN

#PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

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