Proposed law seeks jail or reformative training for young scam offenders after High Court ruling

The decisions in these seven cases are final and will not be affected by the proposed law.

Scam victims in Singapore have lost more than $4 billion since 2019, with $913.1 million lost to scammers in 2025. A record $1.1 billion was lost in 2024.

MHA said scams remain the most prevalent crime type in Singapore, with the police receiving around 90 scam reports amounting to $2 million in losses daily in the first half of 2026.

Targeting mules

In 2025, the police investigated more than 1,000 young people in connection with scam reports.

Meanwhile, the number of young people who committed cheating and related offences rose by 37%, from 814 in 2024 to 1,114 in 2025. Most were scam mules.

MHA said: “We need to do more to deter young offenders from being enticed by the prospect of quick financial gains to commit such offences.”

Since 2023, Parliament has passed five Bills to deter scams and related offences.

These include the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment) Bill that introduced new offences to clamp down on money mules.

To make it easier to prosecute those who sell their Singpass accounts to scammers, the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill was passed.

Both Bills were passed in May 2023.

Parliament passed the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill in April 2024 to address the misuse of SIM cards for scams.

It also passed the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill in November 2025 to introduce caning for scammers and for members and recruiters of scam syndicates.

The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill was passed in September 2026 to tackle the misuse of online accounts for scams.

Parliament had previously passed laws to address judgments that were inconsistent with the Government’s policy intent.

One example was the City Harvest Church case in 2018, in which the Court of Appeal decided that aggravated criminal breach of trust applied only to professional agents.

In 2019, Parliament amended the Penal Code to expand the aggravated criminal breach of trust provision so that it would apply not only to those holding specified professional positions, but more broadly to those entrusted with property in circumstances warranting higher punishment.

Scams kill

To reflect Parliament’s intent, MHA said it worked with the Sentencing Advisory Panel, which includes representatives from the Ministry of Law and the judiciary, to lay down clear sentencing guidelines for scam offences.

According to the guidelines, imprisonment or RT should be considered for all offenders, even if they are below 21, except those dealt with in the Youth Court. This is given the need for deterrence and public interest in suppressing scams.

MHA said the legislation will apply to the sentencing of scam and scam-enabling offences committed before, on or after the Act’s commencement date.

Scams have inflicted more than monetary losses on victims, with some dying by suicide.

The police had previously cited the case of a man who had lost his life savings after falling for a tech support scam.

He took his nine-year-old daughter to stay at his brother’s home for the night and said he would be back the next day.

He was later found with self-inflicted injuries, and died several days later.

In 2021, a police full-time national serviceman took his own life after being scammed of $10,000.

MHA said: “Scams cause serious harm to victims and must be met with a strong deterrent message. The Bill reinforces the message that scammers and those who facilitate scams should generally face deterrent sentences.”