TOP SCAM TYPES
The top five scam types in the first half of this year, in terms of case numbers, were phishing scams, e-commerce scams, job scams, investment scams and government officials’ impersonation scams. They made up more than 70 per cent of total scam cases.
Phishing scams:
This topped the list, making up 19.2 per cent of total scam cases.
A total of 3,779 cases were reported in the first half of the year, a 10.9 per cent increase compared with the same period a year ago.
The amount lost to phishing scams also surged 134 per cent to S$30.4 million from about S$13 million during that same period.
The majority of phishing scam victims were aged 30 to 49. They typically fall for purported deals on social media platforms and are lured into submitting credit card details to scammers for purchases.
Government officials impersonation scams:
Government officials impersonation scam cases almost tripled, from 589 cases in the first half of 2024 to 1,762 cases in the latest tally.
The amount lost to such scams rose by 88.3 per cent to S$126.5 million, the second-highest loss among all scam types.
The police highlighted a rising trend of victims pressured into withdrawing cash, purchasing gold bars or declaring valuable possessions before meeting mules in person to hand over these valuables, purportedly for investigation purposes.
Investment scams:
While the number of investment scams fell by 19.2 per cent in cases in the first six months of this year from the same period a year ago, the amount lost in such cases was the highest among all scam types.
Victims lost about S$145.4 million in the first half of the year, a 10.6 per cent increase compared with the same period a year ago.
Scammers have directed victims to create new cryptocurrency wallets for their purported investment before asking for fund transfers or login credentials. Some victims would receive small profits initially to entice them to invest more money.
