Bank account holders restricted for suspected scam mule activities not prevented from accessing daily expenses: Goh Pei Ming吴佩明：因涉嫌从事洗钱活动而被限制使用银行账户的账户持有人，并未被禁止使用日常开支。
A new anti-scam law passed in Parliament on Wednesday (Sept 9) will give the police powers to request service providers, including banks and telcos, to restrict or disable the accounts of suspected scam mules.The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill was passed unanimously after a debate on the proposed measures, where several MPs raised concerns over its implementation.One important point...
A new anti-scam law passed in Parliament on Wednesday (Sept 9) will give the police powers to request service providers, including banks and telcos, to restrict or disable the accounts of suspected scam mules .
The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill was passed unanimously after a debate on the proposed measures, where several MPs raised concerns over its implementation.
One important point was whether affected bank account holders could have access to funds for their basic livelihoods, as well as if an expedited appeal mechanism would be introduced.
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said in his closing speech that individuals issued Account Disabling Orders (ADO) and Service Limitation Orders (SLO) can appeal to the police for lifting the orders.
He assured that such appeals will be accessed "fairly and as quickly as possible", and more details on the appeal mechanism will be shared later.
Under the new legislation, the police can direct a service provider to disable an account if they suspect or have reason to believe that an account is involved in furthering scams.
ADOs may last up to 30 days, with one possible extension of up to another 30 days.
Meanwhile, the police can evoke SLOs to request service providers to restrict individuals who are suspected to use the service to commit or facilitate scams.
First-time mules will generally face one year of restrictions, and the duration may stretch up to three years for repeat offenders or higher risk individuals, Goh said.
"I wish to reassure the House that we will not prevent individuals from accessing funds that they genuinely need for daily living," he stated.
He said individuals subject to banking restrictions under SLOs can still perform transactions by physically visiting the bank branch.
"We will only restrict access to self-service banking services like internet banking, mobile banking or ATM services, which are more prone to being exploited for scams.
"Incoming transactions, such as salaries and Government payouts, will continue to be processed as usual."
For bank accounts disabled under ADOs, individuals in need of the funds inside can apply to the police "for access to a reasonable amount of money" for daily and necessary expenses.
"We are also mindful that if the individual is a scam mule, the funds within the disabled account may in fact not belong to him, but to other scam victims," Goh added.
"Nevertheless, once the police assess that the individual should be allowed access to funds, the police will work with banks to enable this as quickly as possible."
The senior minister of state stressed that it is important to quickly and decisively disrupt scams and take a firm stance against scam mules through the Orders.
"The Orders enable us to constrict the supply of scam enablers and disable them before they can be used, and this is ultimately to protect our citizens," he said.
Goh said approximately $2 million was lost to scams every day in the first half of the year.
From January to June 2026, the police recorded a total of 16,821 scam cases , with losses collectively amounting to about $410.6 million.
This is an improvement from the same period in 2025, which saw 19,644 scam cases with total losses at about $500.2 million.
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
周三（9 月 9 日），议会通过了一项新的反诈骗法，该法将赋予警方权力，要求包括银行和电信公司在内的服务提供商限制或禁用涉嫌诈骗洗钱者的账户。
《诈骗（应对措施）及其他事项法案》在经过对拟议措施的辩论后获得一致通过，辩论中一些议员对该法案的实施表示担忧。
其中一个重要问题是受影响的银行账户持有人是否能够获得维持基本生计的资金，以及是否会引入快速申诉机制。
内政部高级政务部长吴佩铭在闭幕致辞中表示，收到账户禁用令（ADO）和服务限制令（SLO）的个人可以向警方提出上诉，要求解除这些命令。
他保证，此类上诉将“公平、尽快”地得到处理，有关上诉机制的更多细节将在稍后公布。
根据新法规，如果警方怀疑或有理由相信某个账户参与了诈骗活动，可以指示服务提供商禁用该账户。
ADO 最长可达 30 天，并可延长一次，最长可达 30 天。
与此同时，警方可以援引服务限制令，要求服务提供商限制涉嫌利用该服务实施或协助诈骗的个人。
吴先生表示，初犯者一般将面临一年的限制，而对于屡犯者或高风险人群，限制期限可能会延长至三年。
“我想向议会保证，我们不会阻止个人获得他们日常生活真正需要的资金，”他表示。
他表示，受 SLO 银行限制的个人仍然可以通过亲自前往银行网点办理业务。
“我们将仅限制对自助银行服务的访问，例如网上银行、手机银行或ATM服务，因为这些服务更容易被诈骗分子利用。
“工资和政府拨款等收款交易将继续照常处理。”
对于因 ADO 而被禁用的银行账户，需要账户内资金的个人可以向警方申请“提取合理金额的资金”，用于日常和必要的开支。
“我们也意识到，如果该人是诈骗洗钱者，那么被禁用账户中的资金实际上可能不属于他，而是属于其他诈骗受害者，”吴补充道。
“然而，一旦警方评估认为应该允许该人获得资金，警方将与银行合作，尽快促成此事。”
国务高级部长强调，必须迅速果断地打击诈骗活动，并通过法令对诈骗洗钱者采取强硬立场。
他说：“这些命令使我们能够限制诈骗工具的供应，并在它们被使用之前将其禁用，这最终是为了保护我们的公民。”
吴先生表示，今年上半年，每天因诈骗损失的金额约为200万美元。
从 2026 年 1 月到 6 月，警方共记录了 16,821 起诈骗案件，总损失约为 4.106 亿美元。
与 2025 年同期相比有所改善，当时发生了 19,644 起诈骗案件，总损失约为 5.002 亿美元。
lim.kewei@asiaone.com