Introduction
Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill, which seeks to amend the Penal Code and other related legislation to update our criminal laws.
Sir, the scope of the Bill is vast. I will be focusing my speech today on scam-related crimes and proposal to revise caning penalties for certain offences, including introducing caning for scams and scams-related offences.
Introduction of caning timely as scams rise
Sir, I read with great concern about the recent media coverage of Singaporeans being involved in scam syndicate operations in Cambodia. In one of the reported cases, a Singaporean was alleged to be the leader of the crime ring, targeting Singaporeans in Government impersonation scams. Their use of the Singaporean accent was meant to reassure the victims that the calls were genuine.
Scams are a major source of crimes in Singapore. Today, we are far more likely to get scammed online than to be robbed in the streets. In the first half of 2025, victims lost $456 million, with almost 20,000 cases reported. These figures are a representation that scam cases continue to plague our country. According to statistics by the Police, scam victims lost $1.1 billion in 2024 and $651.8 million in 2023.
When I first joined the Police in 1995, cheating cases were common but limited largely to face-to-face interactions. Over time, as Singapore’s digital penetration grew, scam archetypes evolved to love scams on WeChat to the current situation, where so many variants of scams affect different segments of our population.
The Bill’s proposal to introduce mandatory caning for offenders for scams is therefore highly welcomed, and timely, as we need to send a signal that our legal system has no tolerance for those who scam and prey on others.
However, when it comes to enforcement, it is often the most vulnerable, who are recruited as mules, who are caught. Syndicate bosses are often based offshore, and it can be tough for local law enforcement to take them to task. I would therefore like to ask how the SPF is working with the foreign enforcement agencies including with Interpol , including member agencies of the Anti-Money Laundering Case Coordination and Collaboration Network (AC3N) to take these criminal masterminds to task.
For offences with proposed discretionary caning, such as those involving individuals who launder scam proceeds, supply SIM cards, or provide SingPass credentials, I would like to ask whether sentencing guidelines will be made available to the Court, and if so, what would these sentencing guidelines be? Would vulnerable offenders, such as youths and those with mild intellectual disabilities be given greater leniency, if they are preyed upon and roped into scam operations? How can we do more to protect these vulnerable individuals from being taken advantage of by the scam syndicates?
Importance of tackling a small but growing variant of scams
Sir, let me next talk about a small but growing variant of scams that threaten Singapore’s ambition to become a live entertainment hub. Between 2023 to 2024, 1,500 people lost about $1.1 million in scams due to the sale of concert tickets by online third-party resellers.
Ticket scams pertaining to live entertainment event have been a growing concern for the Consumers Association of Singapore. Consumers tell us that ticket scams are a particular area of concern as many eventgoers try to get tickets to A-list events at all costs. Many of them simply cannot buy tickets on the primary market due to the presence of bots. They try all means possible to attend the events by their favourite artiste, even at the risk of purchasing fake tickets.
Members would recall reading news articles about ticket scams whenever an A-list event takes place in Singapore – from Taylor Swift to Coldplay to Andy Lau. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert that was held in Singapore in March 2024, became an unfortunate incident where many locals and international consumers became scam victims.
The Consumer Protection Review Panel, which I co-chair, is looking at this issue deeply. For example, the Panel is actively engaging ticket service platforms to explore establishing authorised ticket sale platforms to provide consumers with greater certainty that tickets resold on proper platforms are legitimate. Other suggestions include phasing out paper tickets and to only have digital tickets with dynamic QR codes.
But while the industry players and CASE do our best to tackle the issue, we cannot succeed in eradicating the problem of ticket scams without support from the Government. Some overseas jurisdictions with thriving entertainment industries, such as in Japan and Taiwan, have already rolled out anti-ticketing scam laws to tackle the issue – something that I hope the Government would also consider.
Sir, we must address the variant of ticketing scams more seriously, despite its relatively smaller losses when compared to other scams. Because if left unaddressed, these scams could threaten to derail Singapore’s efforts to anchor ourselves as the region’s entertainment hub.
Conclusion
In closing, the amendments proposed under the Bill are timely, as it will send a strong signal that tackling scams continue to be a national priority. We must continue to act firmly against scam syndicates, while having a care on how we treat vulnerable citizens who are roped into scam operations. I also urge the Ministry to also look into how we can deal with ticketing scams more decisively, as it affects a large number of consumers.
Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.
