Volunteers take to cyberspace to spot scams under new crime prevention initiative

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The Straits TimesFatimah Mujibah2026-09-04 21:12查看原文 ↗

Published Sep 04, 2026, 09:12 PM

Updated Sep 04, 2026, 09:12 PM

SINGAPORE – A new pilot programme has seen almost 100 volunteers patrol cyberspace to spot potential scams and suspicious activity, helping the police detect threats early and prevent scams.

Cyber Citizens on Patrol, or Cyber COP, is a joint initiative by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the police, said NCPC chairman Gerald Singham.

The volunteers, who have undergone training, started conducting online patrols in August, he added.

The initiative is part of NCPC’s efforts to adapt its crime prevention strategies to the digital era, using outreach and new partnerships to enable more Singaporeans to play a role in crime prevention.

These efforts were also reflected in the NCPC’s Crime Prevention Awards on Sept 4, where 10 organisations were lauded for their actions in preventing crime such as halting bank transfers or spotting shop theft.

The recipients are UOB, Go-Ahead Singapore, OCBC, Singapore Pools, Marina Bay Sands, Shin Min Daily News, Tower Transit, SBS Transit, M Hotel Singapore City Centre and Sian Chay Medical Institution.

Senior Minister K Shanmugam, who presented the awards, told the media: “Now we live in a very different world. Criminals are increasingly exploiting technology. They are targeting victims in new ways.”

“Our partnership with NCPC must be even more strengthened, and it is even more important,” said Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.

Senior Minister K Shanmugam attended the ceremony and presented the awards. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Senior Minister K Shanmugam attended the ceremony and presented the awards.

ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Singham said Cyber COP is part of NCPC’s broader push to harness the community in crime prevention, with about 200 community ambassadors taking part in around 150 events each year.

Touted as “heroes on the ground”, these ambassadors help NCPC reach more people and respond to emerging crime trends, while support from donors help the council strengthen its crime-fighting efforts.

Singham said: “Keeping Singapore safe is a shared responsibility, and the organisations recognised this year demonstrate what that looks like in practice.

“Whether through frontline vigilance, public education, technology, partnerships, or community action, each award recipient has taken proactive steps to prevent crime and strengthen the safety of those around them.

For example, SBS Transit has trained its employees, including frontline staff, to recognise, report and respond to suspicious activity.

Recounting an incident in February, interchange supervisor Chua Jin Kee said he had noticed a man squatting near a recycling bin with a shampoo bottle in his hand.

Chua kept an eye on him as he stood up and walked unsteadily with one bare foot. This behaviour raised Chua’s suspicions. The man later stole an item from a convenience store and Chua alerted the police.

According to the police’s mid-year crime statistics released on Aug 24 , shop theft was one of the top crimes of concern, with 2,095 cases recorded in the first half of 2026, up from the 2,050 cases in the first six months of 2025.

Shop theft remains one of the top offences committed by youth, most of whom target supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts, and personal care, health and wellness shops.

Another award recipient was UOB, which tackled a scam case involving a customer who visited its Clementi branch to request a blank cashier’s order with no beneficiary name. As the request was unusual , deputy branch manager Luo Lan asked about the purpose of the payment, but the customer could only say it was for a “friend”.

Luo later realised that the customer had been communicating with a scammer impersonating a police officer.

During a video call, a scammer appeared in a police uniform against a backdrop resembling a police station, which led the customer to believe that he was under investigation.

By the time he arrived at the branch, he had already transferred $75,000 to the scammers. Luo’s intervention prevented him from losing a further $75,000.

In their mid-year scam statistics on Aug 26 , the police noted that elderly victims had the highest average losses in scam cases.

The elderly, aged 65 and above, made up 14.4 per cent of scam victims, with the average amount lost per victim at $42,347.

Government official impersonation scams saw victims lose $90.8 million in the first half of 2025. Four in 10 victims were aged 65 and above. Ninety-four per cent of cases involved the impersonation of representatives from banks, telcos or financial institutions, as well as local government officials, through calls.

Internet crimes and scams

发布于 2026 年 9 月 4 日晚上 9:12

更新于2026年9月4日晚上9:12

新加坡——一项新的试点计划让近 100 名志愿者在网络空间巡逻，以发现潜在的诈骗和可疑活动，帮助警方及早发现威胁并防止诈骗。

国家预防犯罪委员会 (NCPC) 主席杰拉尔德·辛格姆表示，“网络公民巡逻队 (Cyber Citizens on Patrol)”是国家预防犯罪委员会和警方的一项联合倡议。

他补充说，经过培训的志愿者从8月份开始进行网络巡逻。

该举措是国家预防犯罪委员会 (NCPC) 为使其预防犯罪策略适应数字时代而做出的努力之一，通过外联和建立新的伙伴关系，使更多新加坡人能够在预防犯罪方面发挥作用。

这些努力也体现在9月4日国家犯罪预防委员会颁发的犯罪预防奖中，该奖项表彰了10个组织在预防犯罪方面所采取的行动，例如阻止银行转账或发现商店盗窃。

获奖者包括：大华银行、Go-Ahead Singapore、华侨银行、新加坡博彩公司、滨海湾金沙、新明日报、Tower Transit、SBS Transit、新加坡市中心M酒店和善济医疗机构。

颁奖的资深部长尚穆根告诉媒体：“我们现在生活在一个截然不同的世界。犯罪分子越来越多地利用科技，他们以新的方式瞄准受害者。”

“我们与国家网络安全中心的合作必须进一步加强，而且也变得更加重要，”尚穆根说道，他同时也是国家安全统筹部长和内政部长。

高级部长尚穆根出席颁奖典礼并颁发奖项。海峡时报摄影：阿里芬·贾马尔