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Author Topic: Singapore Police Force (SPF)  (Read 5655 times)

Offline ainat

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Singapore Police Force (SPF)
« on: November 06, 2020, 11:15:05 AM »

Offline ainat

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Re: Singapore Police Force (SPF)
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2022, 01:34:40 PM »
Project ICONS (2021)



Subtitles extracted from the above video:

"Since the formation of the anti-scam
division in march 2021 we have embarked
on project ICONS which stands for
International Cooperation On Negating
Scams
this project focuses on intensive
intelligence sharing with our overseas
law enforcement agencies through
protracted collaboration
we have successfully busted existing
syndicates which leads to the arrest of
230 syndicate members
this is unprecedented and can be
considered as a very big breakthrough as
police officers our major is to protect
life and properties and whenever we
receive a report
our main responsibility is to
investigate the criminal offence that is
being disclosed we also strive to
recover the losses that the victim have
but that is always not the main the main
thing will always be to ensure uh
criminal justice is being served and if
we can recover the money it will be a
bonus for the victims itself once the
money is out of singapore it would be
very difficult for the police to recover
while we have built strong links with
overseas law enforcement agencies
recovery can be still very challenging
because different jurisdictions have
different legislation
hence we would like to urge members of
the public that once they suspect that
they have been scammed they should alert
the bank and lodge a police report at
the soonest so as to mitigate losses
the biggest challenge uh wherever we
face with uh scam victims is that to
gain their trust there was a case that
that we responded to uh whereby the vic
elderly victim uh she was granny that
actually lost a substantial amount of
her life savings
so after letting her know that hey we
are the real police and she has been
scammed she's naturally distorted by the
fact that she's been cheated and also
she lost so much money so we continue to
talk to her
to update her about the processes and
the status of her case
but we also offer her
emotional support because she was
clearly in distress about it and
throughout the conversation we start to
realize that hey there were times she
displayed suicidal tendencies and that's
where then we offer her
more victim care support and walk her
through that process from the many
victims that we can't contact with at
first look they will not be victims of
scam but unfortunately
maybe at times of vulnerability
sometimes they lose their objectivity
because the scammers that's what the
scammers are good at is to expect the
vulnerability and to build on that trust
it's really a shared responsibility uh
that we have to protect ourselves
against scams we have to be mindful of
scams and
we have to be
mindful of scams not only just for
ourselves but also for our friends our
families to ensure that uh they do not
fall for scamstar so if they're not in
the situation in the first place then
they will not suffer any losses."

Offline greentara

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Re: Singapore Police Force (SPF)
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2022, 09:18:02 PM »
Police rescue suicidal victims, work with telcos and foreign counterparts to stop scams
Jessie Lim | 17 Feb 2022

SINGAPORE - Concerned that a scam victim in her 50s was not taking his calls, senior investigation officer (SIO) Quek Kee Boon visited her home last month and noticed the distinct smell of gas coming from her apartment.

SIO Quek, who is from the police’s Anti-Scam Division (ASD), said the woman was so weak from inhaling the gas that she was lying on the floor when she opened the door.

She said she wanted to end her life because she was distraught over losing her life savings of $100,000 to scammers.

SIO Quek was relating the incident at a police media briefing on Monday (Feb 14) to explain how the police are tackling scams.

The ASD, which comes under the Commercial Affairs Department, coordinates the police's anti-scam investigations and enforcement.

The woman was duped in a China officials impersonation scam.

SIO Quek said the woman had transferred the money while under stress as the scammers had claimed she was being investigated by the police in China over money laundering offences.

To prove her innocence, she was told she had to transfer all her savings into one of her accounts for investigation purposes. She was also instructed by the scammers to take a bank loan of $72,500.

It was a significant sum to the unemployed mother of two.

After instructing the victim to relinquish her one-time password, the scammer seized control of her bank account.

Recounting his visit to the woman's home, SIO Quek recalled knocking persistently on her door until she finally opened it.

"She was lying on the ground, using a wooden pole to open the door. When I asked her what happened, she said she had turned on the gas (stove) to try to commit suicide," he said.

The police contacted her family members about the incident and also offered her care support when she was discharged from hospital.

Since then, the police have recovered at least $70,000 and returned the money to her. Her condition has also stabilised.

SIO Quek said: "In extreme cases, scam victims can resort to ending their lives. I'm glad I could save her at that point in time."

In 2021, there were 23,931 scams reported, a 52.9 per cent increase from the 15,651 cases in 2020.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Aileen Yap said: "This is a life we saved but we are not sure how many we did not save."

Between September 2021 and November 2021, the police conducted three islandwide anti-scam operations targeting money mules linked to job scams, which last year were the most reported scam type.

The operations led to the arrests of 135 individuals.

Another 141 were investigated for selling their bank accounts or relinquishing their Singpass credentials so syndicates could open bank accounts to siphon monies stolen in scams.

Last year, the police froze more than 12,600 bank accounts, recovering more than $102 million stolen in scams.

As part of enforcement efforts, the police also worked with telecommunication companies and online marketplaces to terminate more than 3,300 mobile lines and reported more than 17,300 WhatsApp lines involved in suspected scams.

The police also used technology to fight scams, launching Project Awakenings last December to identify and warn potential victims of investment scams by sending them targeted SMS advisories.

They also worked with foreign law enforcement agencies and raise awareness of scams among the public.

Police said scams last year constituted 51.8 per cent of overall crime, up from 42 per cent in 2020.

DAC Yap said the ease of online payment methods has made it more convenient for scammers to transfer money quickly.

She said: "Singapore has really become more vulnerable (to scams) with digital payments and enhanced communication channels such as Telegram and WhatsApp.

"It is extremely important for us to work together with various key stakeholders to halt the flow of money, whether it's from a bank account, e-wallet or cryptocurrency account.

"We cannot emphasise enough that fighting scams is a community effort."

Helplines

• Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688 (9am - 5pm)
• National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am - 12am)

Mental well-being
• Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
• Samaritans of Singapore:
1800-221-4444 (24 hours) /1-767 (24 hours)
• Singapore Association for Mental Health:
1800-283-7019
• Silver Ribbon Singapore:
6386-1928
• Tinkle Friend:
1800-274-4788 and www.tinklefriend.sg
• Community Health Assessment Team:
6493-6500/1 and www.chat.mentalhealth.sg

Counselling
• TOUCHline (Counselling):
1800-377-2252
• TOUCH Care Line (for seniors, caregivers):
6804-6555
• Care Corner Counselling Centre:
1800-353-5800
Online resources
• mindline.sg
• My Mental Health
• Fei Yue’s Online Counselling Service
• Tinkle Friend
• Community Health Assessment Team

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/police-rescue-suicidal-victims-work-with-telcos-and-foreign-counterparts-to-stop-scams