12 迪舒沙（荷兰-武吉知马集选区议员）先生询问内政部长：新加坡警方如何打击通过钓鱼短信引发的定期存款诈骗？

尚穆根（内政部长）先生：作为反诈骗策略的一部分，警方发布了有关诈骗变种的咨询，并在其每周诈骗报告中分享了这些建议。其中包括关于定期存款诈骗变种的通告，该变种在 2024 年初报告的案件有所增加。该诈骗变种涉及冒充银行的社交媒体服务 (SMS)，向受害者提供高利率的定期存款计划促销，并邀请他们联系一个号码。

当受害人主动联系时，骗子会假装以受害人的名义开设了银行账户。在某些情况下，受害者会收到伪造的银行对账单，显示以他们的名义开设的新银行账户。然后，受害人会收到指示，将钱存入或转入这些银行账户，而这些账户实际上属于骗子或 “钱骡”。受害者只有在登录自己的银行应用程序时才会意识到自己被骗并发现无法找到已创建的所谓银行账户。

反诈骗跨部门委员会实施了多项反诈骗措施，有助于打击这种诈骗变种。

为了阻止诈骗短信，新加坡资讯通信媒体发展管理局 (IMDA) 于2023年1月要求在新加坡短信发件人 ID 注册中心 (SSIR) 注册。现在，需要向新加坡手机号码发送带有字母数字发件人 ID 的短信的组织必须在 SSIR 注册。带有未注册短信发送 ID 的短信将被标记为“疑似诈骗”（ “Likely-SCAM”），以提醒收件人谨慎行事。新加坡所有零售银行都已根据 SSIR 注册了发件人 ID，银行发出的合法短信只能通过注册的发件人 ID 发送。为了进一步保护公众免受诈骗短信的侵害，资讯通信媒体发展管理局 (IMDA) 目前正在与电信公司 (telcos) 合作，为公众提供不接收国际来电短信的选项。

为了检测和举报诈骗，我们推出了 ScamShield，它可以识别和阻止诈骗电话和短信。该系统还设有举报功能，公众可以通过手机举报疑似诈骗电话和短信。警方还与电信公司密切合作，封锁涉嫌参与诈骗的移动线路。2023 年，超过 9,200 条被认为用于诈骗的移动线路被提交终止。

归根结底，防范诈骗的最佳办法是提高公众的辨别能力。我们呼吁公众通过 “加”、“查 ”和 “报 ”这三个简单步骤采取预防措施。

首先，“加”ScamShield 应用程序，保护自己免受诈骗电话和短信的侵害。为数字账户设置安全功能，例如多因素身份验证，以及为网上银行设置交易限额。第二，“查”诈骗迹象和官方来源。对银行提供的不切实际的高利率要谨慎。银行只会使用注册的发件人 ID 向您发送短信。他们绝不会使用个人号码或可点击链接发送短信。如有疑问，请直接拨打银行官方热线以验证银行优惠的真实性。第三，“报”，通报您的家人和朋友有关诈骗遭遇，并立即向银行报告任何欺诈交易。

周凯年（蔡厝港集选区议员）先生询问内政部长，关于最近由新加坡警方（SPF） 跨司法管辖区行动小组领导的逮捕恶意软件诈骗犯和打击此类网络犯罪分子的在线基础设施的行动，在促进跨司法管辖区调查和执法（包括追回从此类网络犯罪所得资产）和更好地保护我们的在线设备免受此类网络犯罪侵害方面有哪些经验教训？

尚穆根（内政部长）先生：打击诈骗和网络犯罪极具挑战性。大多数案件都是新加坡境外的犯罪集团所为。他们善于利用技术掩盖行踪。他们经营着复杂的跨国业务，很难被发现，更不用说摧毁了。追回诈骗所得也很困难，尤其是当资金已转移到海外时。我们能否侦破这些案件和追回诈骗所得，主要取决于海外执法机构的合作和能力。

议员提到的案件就说明了这一点。在本案中，两名男子因涉嫌参与针对新加坡人的恶意软件诈骗而被法庭起诉，这类诈骗自 2023 年 6 月以来一直在进行。他们的被捕及其诈骗基础设施的捣毁有赖于警方与马来西亚、香港和台湾警方的紧密合作。

尽管这次行动取得了成功，但仍有更多的网络犯罪分子逍遥法外。因此，应对诈骗和网络犯罪的最有效方法是防患于未然。因此，我们一直在加倍努力开展公众教育。包括银行、电信公司、设备制造商和在线平台在内的行业利益相关者也发挥着至关重要的作用。我们的机构将继续与他们合作，采取上游措施保护其用户。

12 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs how is the Singapore Police Force combating the fixed deposit scams that arise from phishing SMSes.

Mr K Shanmugam: As part of its anti-scam strategy, the Police issues advisories on scam variants and also shares them in its Weekly Scam Report. These include an advisory on the fixed deposit scams variant, which saw an increase in reported cases in early 2024. The scam variant involves Social Media Services (SMSes) impersonating banks, offering victims fixed deposit scheme promotions with high interest rates and inviting them to contact a number.

When the victims initiate contact, the scammers would pretend to have opened bank accounts under the victims' names. In some cases, victims would receive forged bank statements showing the new bank accounts in their name. Victims would, then, be instructed to deposit or transfer money into these bank accounts, which, in fact, belonged to the scammers or money mules. The victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they log into their banking application and were not able to find the supposed bank accounts that had been created.

The Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams has implemented several anti-scam measures which can help combat this scam variant.

To block scam SMSes, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) mandated registration with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) in January 2023. Organisations needing to send SMSes bearing alphanumeric Sender IDs to Singapore mobile numbers, are now required to register with the SSIR. SMSes bearing non-registered SMS Sending IDs will be labelled as "Likely-SCAM" to advise recipients to exercise caution. All retail banks in Singapore have registered their Sender IDs under the SSIR and legitimate SMSes from banks would only be sent via registered Sender IDs. To further protect the public against scam SMSes, IMDA is currently working with the telecommunication companies (telcos) to provide the public with the option not to receive international incoming SMSes.

To detect and report scams, we launched ScamShield, which identifies and blocks scam calls and SMSes. It also comprises a reporting function where members of the public can report suspected scam calls and SMSes via their phones. The Police also work closely with telcos to block mobile lines suspected to be involved in scams. In 2023, more than 9,200 mobile lines, which were believed to be used in scams, were submitted for termination.

Ultimately, the best defence against scams is a discerning public. We urge the public to adopt precautionary measures through the three simple steps of "Add", "Check" and "Tell".

First, "Add" the ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features, such as multifactor authentication, for digital accounts and transaction limits for Internet banking. Second, "Check" for scam signs and with official sources. Be cautious of bank offers with unrealistically high interest rates. Banks will only send you SMSes using registered Sender IDs. They will never send SMSes using personal numbers or with clickable links. If in doubt, call the bank directly at its official hotline to verify the authenticity of bank offers. Third, "Tell" your family and friends about scam encounters and report any fraudulent transactions to the bank immediately.

 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Home Affairs in relation to the recent arrest of perpetrators of malware-operated scams and the crackdown of the online infrastructure of such cybercriminals led by the SPF's multi-jurisdiction operation team, what are the lessons learnt to (i) facilitate such investigation and enforcement across jurisdictions including recovery of assets from the proceeds of such cybercrimes and (ii) better safeguard our online devices against such cybercrimes.

Mr K Shanmugam: Enforcement against scams and cybercrimes is extremely challenging. Most of the cases are perpetrated by syndicates based outside Singapore. They are adept at using technology to cover their tracks. They run sophisticated transnational operations, which are not easy to uncover, let alone dismantle. Recovery of scam proceeds is also difficult, especially when the monies have been transferred overseas. Our ability to solve these cases and recover scam proceeds depends critically on the cooperation and capabilities of overseas law enforcement agencies.

The case referred to by the Member illustrates this. In this case, two men were charged in court for their suspected involvement in malware-enabled scams against Singaporeans, which had been going on since June 2023. Their arrests and the dismantling of their scam infrastructure relied on the strong partnerships between the Police and their counterparts in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Notwithstanding this successful operation, there are many more cybercriminals who remain outside the reach of our law. Therefore, the most effective way to deal with scams and cybercrimes is to prevent them from happening in the first place. This is why we have been doubling down on public education. Industry stakeholders, including banks, telecommunication companies, device manufacturers and online platforms, also play a critical role. Our agencies will continue to work with them on upstream measures to protect their users.