Singapore police and four banks disrupt more than 900 scam attempts in two months, averting S$35 million in losses

SINGAPORE, Nov 12 — The Singapore Police Force said on Wednesday (Nov 11) that its Anti-Scam Centre, working with four banks, disrupted more than 900 scam attempts in a joint operation from Sept 1 to Oct 31, averting more than S$35 million (about US$27.2 million) in potential losses.

More than 27,000 warning texts to potential victims

The four partner banks were DBS, UOB, OCBC and digital bank GXS. During the operation, Anti-Scam Centre officers and bank staff sent more than 27,000 SMS alerts to over 15,000 bank customers identified as potential scam victims, warning them to stop transferring money before it reached the scammers.

Five scam types; automation speeds up detection

The disrupted attempts spanned e-commerce scams, job scams, fake friend call scams, government official impersonation scams and investment scams. Police said the operation used robotic process automation to detect potential victims faster, with bank staff co-located at the Anti-Scam Centre. No arrests or frozen accounts were reported; the figures cover potential losses averted.

Latest in a series of joint operations; helpline 1799

The operation is the latest in a series of similar two-month drives this year: a May–June operation disrupted more than 600 attempts and averted over S$38 million, while a July–August operation disrupted more than 400 attempts and averted over S$46 million. Singapore police advise anyone who suspects a scam to call the ScamShield helpline on 1799 or visit the ScamShield website.

(Sources: Singapore Police Force; Singapore Police Force Media Hub.)