SINGAPORE – A total of $24.9 million was lost by migrant workers to scams, more than five times the $4.5 million that was lost in 2019.
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a written parliamentary reply on Thursday that the top two scam types among migrant workers are phishing scams and job scams.
He was responding to Ms Rachel Ong (West Coast GRC), who asked how much migrant workers had lost to scams in each of the past three years. The amount lost in 2020 was $10.4 million.
He said: “The Government is taking action on multiple fronts to disrupt scammers’ operations, strengthen enforcement against perpetrators, and increase public education. It has been stepping up public education and engagement efforts to raise awareness of scams among the migrant worker community.”
Mr Tharman said that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regularly provides anti-scam advisories and resources to migrant workers in their native languages. Migrant workers are also taught how to avoid falling prey to scams, and to not share their personal information or bank account credentials with anyone.
The Singapore Police Force also works closely with MOM and non-governmental organisations to disseminate the latest scam modus operandi within the relevant anti-scam advisories, and to conduct outreach events, he added.
Ms Ong had also asked if the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) framework for equitable sharing of losses arising from scams includes migrant workers, and whether…
