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Common scam hooks turned into calligraphy at Maybank exhibition

These deceptive phrases turned to calligraphy are on display at a free public exhibition running until Nov 1 at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Straits TimesNadine Chua2026-10-30 17:29查看原文 ↗

Published Oct 30, 2026, 05:29 PM

Updated Oct 30, 2026, 05:29 PM

Maybank’s free exhibition, The Most Expensive Words, uses calligraphy to show common scam phrases and warn people about red flags. It runs until Nov 1 at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The display links phrases like “Your bank seeks your assistance” and “High returns, zero risk” to major scam losses in 2025. Government official impersonation scams lost over $242 million, and investment scams lost over $336 million.

Singapore has lost more than $4 billion to scams since 2019. Maybank said it hopes that by putting these words on the wall and attaching their real-world cost, people will recognise the warning signs before making a transfer.

SINGAPORE – From a distance, the ink strokes in black resemble calligraphy but a few steps closer and it becomes clear it is the phrase “Your bank seeks your assistance”.

Next to the phrase, in smaller characters, is the figure $242 million. That is the amount lost in Singapore in 2025 to government official impersonation scams, where the phrase is commonly used in the ruse.

The artwork is part of a collection Maybank Singapore launched on Oct 23 at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Centre for Lifelong Education. The Most Expensive Words exhibition is to alert the public to common scam hooks and help them recognise red flags early.

The exhibition, which is free and runs until Nov 1, features calligraphy-styled pieces with phrases in English and Mandarin commonly used in different scams.

One features the words “High returns, zero risk” - a hallmark phrase used by investment scammers in a bid to lure victims into handing over their savings.

Over $336 million was lost to investment scams in 2025, according to police figures.

Investment scams and government official impersonation scams were among the top five scam types that year.

Adam Tan, head of community financial services at Maybank Singapore, said that by putting these words on the wall and attaching their real-world cost, they hope people will recognise the warning signs and pause before making a transfer.

“Scammers do not always need sophisticated methods. Often, they rely on a familiar name, an urgent request or a promise that sounds too good to miss,” he added.

Singapore has lost more than $4 billion to scams since 2019.

In the first half of 2026, victims lost $410.6 million across 16,821 reported cases, with eight in 10 victims getting manipulated into handing their money to scammers.

This showed that instead of gaining direct control of bank accounts, scammers were using social engineering to deceive victims into voluntarily making transactions.

Meanwhile, there were 37,308 scam cases reported in the whole of 2025 , with victims losing over 913 million that year.

Helplines and online resources

ScamShield Helpline: 1799 National Mindline: 1771 (24 hours) / 6669-1771 (via WhatsApp) scamshield.gov.sg

Nadine Chua is a correspondent covering crime and court at The Straits Times.

Banks and financial institutions

发布于 2026 年 10 月 30 日下午 5:29

更新于2026年10月30日下午5:29

马来亚银行的免费展览“最昂贵的词语”运用书法展示常见的诈骗用语，并提醒人们注意各种危险信号。展览在南洋艺术学院展出至11月1日。

显示屏将“您的银行寻求您的帮助”和“高回报，零风险”等短语与 2025 年的重大诈骗损失联系起来。冒充政府官员的诈骗损失超过 2.42 亿美元，投资诈骗损失超过 3.36 亿美元。

自 2019 年以来，新加坡因诈骗损失超过 40 亿美元。马来亚银行表示，希望通过将这些文字张贴在墙上并附上实际损失金额，人们在进行转账前能够识别出这些警告信号。

新加坡——从远处看，黑色墨迹像书法，但走近几步，就会发现那是“您的银行需要您的帮助”这句话。

这句话旁边，用较小的字体写着数字 2.42 亿美元。这是新加坡在 2025 年因冒充政府官员诈骗而损失的金额，这句话经常被用于这种骗局中。