The Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) and six banks utilised Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology in a coordinated effort to identify victims of job, investment, fake friend call and e-commerce scams, with the objective of alerting these victims early of the deceptive schemes they were entrenched in, to mitigate financial losses for potential scam victims. The partnering banks are DBS Bank, UOB Bank, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC Bank and GXS Bank.
During the two-month operation conducted from 1 March 2024 to 30 April 2024, ASC officers and the banks sent more than 16,700 SMSes to over 12,500 potential scam victims who are customers of the banks. This upstream detection of scam victims resulted in the successful disruption of over 3,000 ongoing scams and averted potential financial losses of more than $100 million.
RPA Technology
The RPA technology was employed to automate the sharing and processing of information and sharing, enabling the Police to swiftly reach out to potential scam victims through SMSes. The SMS alerts notified the victims of the deceptive schemes they were entrenched in and advised them to halt any additional transfers. Upon receiving the SMSes, most of the victims would realise that they had fallen prey to a scam and come forward to lodge a police report.
ACT Against Scams
The Police urge members of the public to “ACT” against scams. The ACT acronym outlines how members of the public can Add security features, Check for signs, and Tell the authorities and other about scams.
- ADD – Add security features such as the ScamShield application and two-factor authentication for personal accounts, such as banks, social media, and Singpass accounts. 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.
- 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.
- 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.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Anti-Scam Centre officers working together with six partnering banks during the two-month joint operation ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
07 May 2024 @ 12:30 PM