SINGAPORE: Government official impersonation scams have surged in Singapore, with victims losing $126.5 million in just the first half of 2025.
Figures from the Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) mid-year scam and cybercrime report, released on 30 August, show that cases rose from 589 in the first half of 2024 to 1,762 over the same period this year.
Losses also increased sharply, climbing 88.3 per cent compared with the $67.2 million recorded a year earlier.
In these scams, fraudsters pose as officers from government agencies such as the police, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, or the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Victims are deceived into believing their bank accounts are being misused for money laundering.
They are then asked to surrender their funds by transferring money to a so-called “safety account” for investigation purposes, or by physically handing over cash or gold bars to strangers.
Elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable, as they often become anxious when they receive unexpected calls about “official matters”.
Scammers may heighten this fear by revealing personal details or claiming that the victim’s information has been linked to illegal activities.
Such tactics exploit a sense of panic, which is precisely what scammers rely on.
“Scams are designed to catch us off guard,” said Jeffery Chin, deputy director of the Scam Public Education Office at the SPF.
“Scammers evoke strong emotions, such as fear or excitement, and use persuasion tactics that exploit our basic human tendencies. In these emotional moments, we are less likely to scrutinise the situation in detail and tend to comply with scammers’ requests.”
Chin stressed that no one is immune to scams, noting that even those who consider themselves digitally savvy can fall prey.
Some younger, tech-savvy individuals, he added, may even grow complacent, wrongly believing they are “too savvy” to be deceived.
This misconception makes them underestimate the effectiveness of scammers’ tactics, leaving them less vigilant and less likely to adopt protective measures.
The SPF report also noted that the total number of scam cases fell from 26,563 in the first half of 2024 to 19,665 this year.
Overall financial losses across all scam types declined as well, from $522.4 million to about $456.4 million.
Despite this drop, Chin emphasised that “the scam situation remains concerning”.
He pointed out that the majority of scam cases—nearly 79 per cent—involve self-effected transfers, where victims themselves are manipulated into transferring money to scammers.
“The Government remains committed to this fight against scams,” he said.
“But combating scams involves the whole of society. Members of the public should also take personal responsibility to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Chin urged Singaporeans to “proactively adopt the right mindset and protective measures” to guard against such threats, highlighting that this would help build greater collective resilience against scams.
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