Twelve teams from the various Grassroots Organisations (GROs) were awarded the “Anti-Scam Challenge Shield” by Chairman of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), Mr Gerald Singham, at NCPC’s year-end crime prevention roadshow and Queenstown Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC)’s Anti-Scam Challenge Shield Awards 2022.
Queenstown NPC Anti-Scam Challenge Shield
As part of the continued efforts to fight scams, Queenstown NPC rolled out a yearly outreach programme titled “Anti-Scam Challenge Shield” in 2016, to engage its residents through GROs. The programme trains and enlists the GROs under Queenstown NPC’s jurisdiction to help spread scam prevention messages to their residents.
Designed with fun-filled challenges, the programme equips GROs with anti-scam knowledge and leverages their creativity in promoting anti-scam messages both on digital platforms and through in-person outreach. With the positive support from the GROs, the activities were expanded to include an Anti-Scam Family Challenge to educate and involve family members in the outreach against scams in 2022.
One of the participants of this programme who is also a Citizens-on-Patrol (COP) member, Mr Jamal Mohamed, recounted how he and his wife nearly fell prey to a tech support scam due to an unsolicited phone call from a scammer.
Mrs Jamal Mohamed received a phone call from a scammer who told her that her computer’s security had been compromised. In a panic, she handed the phone to Mr Jamal who was asked to click on a link sent by the scammer. The link led to a website that solicited Mr Jamal and his wife’s personal and financial details. Having served as a police volunteer for many years, Mr Jamal knew the importance of staying calm. Instead of being pressured into divulging his details, he hung up the phone. Mr Jamal said of the incident, “After this near-miss experience, I appreciate the value of the information and training provided by Queenstown NPC even more. I might otherwise have fallen prey to the scam as the caller sounded truly convincing.”
Another individual that deserves special mention is Mr Lee Sai Mun. An experienced volunteer, Mr Lee shared how he prevented a domestic helper from falling victim to a job scam after hearing of her intention to respond to an unsolicited job offer. The helper was tempted to take on a job offer that promised a high salary as she was in urgent need of money. Upon hearing her story, Mr Lee advised her to immediately stop communicating with the unknown person and convinced her that this person could be a scammer, preventing a potential scam.
Commanding Officer of Queenstown NPC, Deputy Superintendent of Police Joshua Jesudason, said: “Scams have been rising in Singapore for the last few years, with new tactics emerging and evolving from time to time. It is important that the community be enlisted in the fight against scams. It has been encouraging to see grassroots leaders who participated in the Anti-Scam Challenge Shield leading the way in reaching out to their fellow residents.”
Chairman of the NCPC, Mr Gerald Singham, states: “Community efforts play an important role in scam education and prevention. We are heartened to have so many residents from grassroots organisations taking part in this year’s Anti-Scam Challenge Shield. NCPC hopes to continue working closely with the community and police to spread crime prevention messages deeper and wider into the community.”
The Anti-Scam Challenge Shield organised by Queenstown NPC, now in its seventh edition, was held from September to November 2022. Over 6,700 residents were engaged during this year’s programme.
Photo of Commanding Officer of Queenstown NPC, Deputy Superintendent of Police Joshua Jesudason, Commander of Clementi Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu, Vice Chairman of NCPC, Mr Tan Puay Kern, Chairman of NCPC, Mr Gerald Singham, Actor Li Nanxing, Executive Director of NCPC, Mr Devrajan Bala with award recipients and stakeholders.
ABOUT QUEENSTOWN NPC’S ANTI-SCAM CHALLENGE SHIELD PROGRAMME
The Anti-Scam Challenge Shield is a yearly community outreach programme held annually since 2016 by Queenstown NPC to educate residents on scams. Queenstown NPC recognises that GROs are an excellent platform to reach residents, due to their embeddedness in the community. This year, Queenstown NPC collaborated with GROs to customize programmes to better educate residents on how to stay safe from scams and engaged a total of 6,714 residents.
ABOUT THE YEAR-END CRIME PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
The Year-End Crime Prevention Campaign is one of NCPC’s signature events. Held since 1984, it aims to educate and remind the public of the importance of crime prevention and vigilance, even as they celebrate the year-end festivities.
This year’s campaign was titled “Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes” and included a fun-filled roadshow held from 22 to 23 November 2022.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL
The NCPC is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting public awareness and concern on crime, and to propagate the concept of self-help in crime prevention. The Council comprises representatives from various sectors including the Commercial, Industrial, and Education sectors, as well as the Singapore Police Force.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
22 November 2022 @ 7:50 PM