Dedicated to disrupting and preventing scam operations.
By: Domnic Dass
The Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) was set up by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) under the Commercial Affairs Department on 18 June 2019 to serve as the Police's nerve centre for investigating scam-related crimes. The ASC aims to disrupt and prevent scam operations so as to mitigate victims' monetary losses through the swift recovery of proceeds of crime, amongst other initiatives. Here’s how the ASC achieves its mission.
Strategies to Stop Scams
Scam cases have been rising in recent years. This situation has only worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic as more people stay at home and engage in online activities. For the first half of 2021, scam cases increased by 16% to 8,403 cases, up from 7,247 cases in the same period in 2020.
To combat scams, the ASC adopts six I’s in its approach – Information processing, Intervention, Investigations, Initiatives, Inculcation and International Co-operation
In the first year of the ASC’s operations, more than 8,600 reports were received, which led to ASC officers successfully recovering more than $21.2 million and freezing more than 6,100 bank accounts (which interrupts the flow of victims' funds to scammers and disrupts their operations). Two years into its formation, the ASC has recovered more than $127 million.
Joint Operations
One of the ASC’s key initiatives involved collaborating with the seven Police Divisions to conduct bi-weekly joint operations, resulting in more than 9,000 scammers and money mules being called up for investigations in the past two years.
The ASC also worked closely with SPF units such as the Technology Crime Investigation Branch (TCIB) and Unlicensed Moneylending Strike Force (UMSF) to report more than 20,000 WhatsApp accounts for scam-related activities since February 2020.
ScamShield
One common tactic used by scammers to initiate contact with potential scam victims is through SMSes and phone calls. To prevent these from reaching mobile phone users, the ASC was involved in the development of the ScamShield app with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the Government Technology Agency.
Scamshield features artificial intelligence technology to identify and filter scam messages through the identification of keywords. Since the launch of ScamShield in November 2020, there have been more than 210,000 user downloads, with 1.8 million SMSes and 11,900 suspect numbers successfully blocked as of 30 September 2021.
Project FRONTIER
ASC has also focused on building partnerships with banks and incorporating other stakeholders into its initiatives against scams. Launched in May 2020, Project FRONTIER (which stands for Funds Recovery Operations and Networks Team, Inspiring Effective Resolutions) is one such initiative.
Project FRONTIER brings together banks, fintech companies, telcos, online marketplaces and other agencies to disrupt scammers by swiftly freezing bank accounts and mitigating victims’ losses.
As of 1 August 2021, ASC has expanded its partnerships to 54 stakeholders comprising 14 banks, 15 fintech companies, 13 card payment providers, four local telcos, five e-commerce platforms, the Association of Banks in Singapore and international counterparts such as the Hong Kong Police Force Anti-Deception Coordination Centre and INTERPOL.
Such partnerships helped the ASC to process 11,000 scam-related reports and freeze more than 9,000 bank accounts in 2020. These actions translated to a recovery rate of 35%, which was worth $57.6 million in criminal proceeds (far higher than the previous recovery rate before Project FRONTIER).
In fact, Project FRONTIER has been so effective that between January and June 2021, the ASC had already recovered close to $66 million, which was more than the amount recovered in the whole of 2020 ($57.6 million).
With the cooperation of banks, the ASC has been able to identify and terminate pre-identified devices used by suspected mules or victims, thereby disrupting scammers from using these devices to further their crimes.
Job Scams that Turn Victims into Money Mules
The ASC also conducted investigations against those suspected of having sold or rented out their bank accounts or SingPass credentials to criminal syndicates. Over a four-day operation in September 2021, the ASC worked with officers from the Land Divisions and other SPF specialist staff units to round up 133 individuals for their suspected involvement in job scams, with 71 arrested and 29 charged for money mule activities as well as cheating and money-laundering offences.
Project COMBAT
According to the NCPC, more than $6.5 million was lost to job scams in the first half of 2021. To tackle these, the ASC formed Project COMBAT (Centralised Operational Messaging Bot, Addressing Threats) on 17 July 2021. By collaborating with intel units, Land Division units and internal Anti-Scam Division units, the ASC detected potential victims and immediately alerted them of the danger of falling prey to job scams.
The ASC then used a Robotic Process Automation bot to send SMS advisories to a pool of scam victims, freeing up more time and resources for officers to take on other more important tasks.
As a result, several reports were made after Project COMBAT's introduction. The ASC reported that between mid-May 2021 to early October 2021, it successfully conducted more than 1,900 interventions.
Playing Our Part
The ASC will continue to enhance its capabilities through leveraging technology and building more partnerships in its fight against scams. We can all play a part in this effort; here are three tips from the ASC to encourage scam-savvy behaviour:
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Don’t become a money mule by relinquishing your bank accounts or engaging in money transfer activities that assist scammers.
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Inform the authorities promptly when you encounter scam messages and attempted scams.
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We need a discerning public and a whole-of-community effort to fight scams. Help spread anti-scam messages and build awareness of scams!
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