The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), will launch the 6th edition of its anti-scam campaign today.
The new edition of the campaign comes with a new tagline “Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes.” and a new set of campaign visuals that will be put up island-wide in the coming months. Refer to Annex A for the campaign posters.
The campaign will focus on sharing real scam examples with the public to educate them on how to spot the various signs of scams.
Mr Gerald Singham, Chairman of NCPC, said: “The number of cases for the top 10 scams went up by more than 130% in the first six months of 2020 and the amount lost to these 10 scams alone has almost doubled to $82 million as compared with the same period last year. While this increase can partly be attributed to the increase in online activities due to the COVID-19 situation, it also shows that members of the public are still very much vulnerable to scams.”
Mr Singham added, “One of the key observations made is that many people do not think they will ever become a victim of scam. This false sense of security is dangerous and not helpful in the fight against scams. One should expect there to be scams and to exercise vigilance in their dealings.”
Through this year’s campaign, we hope to bring across a few key points:
- The importance of staying vigilant. Scams affect all people regardless of their education, profession, language or race;
- The importance of looking out for the various signs of scams and keeping updated on the latest scam tactics;
- The importance of verification in preventing scams; and
- The importance of sharing the latest information on scams with loved ones and friends.
“All of us have a responsibility to prevent ourselves and our loved ones from becoming a victim of scam. Learning to spot the various signs of scams and taking the necessary precautions to safeguard ourselves are crucial in the fight against scams. Without this shift in mindset, scammers will continue to take advantage of us and we will continue to succumb to their devious ploys”, said Mr Singham.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
27 August 2020 @ 11:00 AM