The Straits Times Podcasts S1E1: Near impossible to recover your money once scammers transfer it out of Singapore
Synopsis: This is a new podcast by The Straits Times to raise greater public awareness of the modern scourge of scams in Singapore and globally.
It is now February 2022. In Singapore alone, nearly $1 billion has been lost by scam victims since 2016. Mutating and spreading, different types of scams have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, from love to work. The police are cracking down on offenders. What can you do to protect yourself?
In this episode, deputy news editor Andre Yeo hosts fellow journalists David Sun, Jessie Lim and Wong Shiying as they share their biggest behind-the-scenes revelations for the articles they have covered on scam tactics so far.
Highlights (click/tap above):
01:10 David Sun on what sets scams apart from other types of crimes; victims' complacency, lack of self-awareness
03:03 Should the public feel sorry for victims of scams despite amount of anti-scam publicity?
05:42 Wong Shiying on the common thread among the eight scam victims she interviewed over four months; victims mentally scarred into extreme distrust
08:54 Jessie Lim on how intelligent today's scammers really are, and how they even cultivate victims over months
11:30 Why it's almost impossible to get back your money once it's transferred out of Singapore
13:15 Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Centre has added robotic process automation to its arsenal, with the technology driving Project Combat (Centralised Operational Messaging Bot, Addressing Threats)
23:00 How else are victims affected by scams: The mental toll and opening up to seek help
ST's Stop Scams articles: https://str.sg/wWt9
• Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688 (9am - 5pm); https://www.scamalert.sg/
• National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am - 12am); https://ccs.org.sg/nch/
Produced by: Andre Yeo (andrey@sph.com.sg), David Sun (davidsun@sph.com.sg), Jessie Lim (ljessie@sph.com.sg), Wong Shiying (sywong@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim
Edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Follow ST's Stop Scams podcast series here:
Stop Scams Channel: https://str.sg/wuZB
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3e
Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJj
Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wE7S
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Andre Yeo's articles: https://str.sg/wWtC
David Sun's articles: https://str.sg/wWty
Jessie Lim's articles: https://str.sg/wWtF
Wong Shiying's articles: https://str.sg/wWtt
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Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
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ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
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Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
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Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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