The Straits Times Podcasts S1E2: How scammers are buying bank accounts and digital identities of youth for misuse
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.
In Singapore, 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, ST's deputy news editor Andre Yeo and journalist Jessie Lim speak with Superintendent of Police Michelle Tay, the head of the Anti-Scam Centre, launched in 2019. Their job is to disrupt the scammers’ operations and help victims to try to recover their money.
Highlights (click/tap above):
02:15 Step-by-step guide: What to do if you're a scam victim, and what the police do when liaising with banks and fintech institutions
04:10 Why is it so hard to recover scam victims' monies once the funds are transferred out of Singapore?
05:15 What is the Community Watch Scheme and the new e-commerce Transaction Safety rating?
07:00 What are the new scam tactics emerging in 2022? More on the pig-butchering scam which combines tactics used in love and investment scams
09:33 How scammers are targeting youths, offering up to $2,000 to buy their digital identity credentials, and why this is an offence for teenagers involved
09:56 When Supt Tay’s mother received a scam call claiming she had been kidnapped
Listen to Ep 1 - Near impossible to recover your money once scammers transfer it out of Singapore: https://str.sg/wuZB
Public can join these police schemes:
Community Watch Scheme: https://go.gov.sg/spf-cws
Crime Prevention Ambassadors: https://www.ncpc.org.sg/cpas.html
Citizens on Patrol: https://go.gov.sg/citizensonpatrol
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), Jessie Lim (ljessie@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai
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
Jessie Lim's articles: https://str.sg/wWtF
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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
#stopscams
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