Parliament proposes new law to deter scam offenders
On Tuesday (3 Nov), the Sentencing (Scams) Bill was introduced for First Reading in Parliament.
A press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the court would consider reformative training (RT) or imprisonment as the primary and default sentence for scam offenders under the age of 21.
This was implemented in light of the severity of the scam situation and the resultant harm to Singaporeans.
High Court ruling favoured rehabilitative training for young scam mules
The bill follows an earlier court ruling which placed scam offenders on probation after an appeal.
On 10 Sept, the High Court stated that RT or imprisonment should not be the default sentence for young people guilty of scam-enabling offences.
The Straits Times reported that the court allowed four young scam offenders, who committed their offences while under the age of 21, to appeal their sentences of RT.
They were instead placed on probation ranging from 12 to 18 months.
Where RT detains the offender in a Reformative Training Centre (RTC), resulting in a criminal record, probation involves fulfilling community service requirements under strict supervision without leaving a criminal record.
Source: Singapore Prison Service
The court subsequently dismissed an appeal by the prosecution against a 17-year-old mule, who was sentenced to a short detention order and community service instead of RT.
Bill aims to maintain consistency in dealing with young offenders
However, another case emerged involving a 25-year-old named Mohamed Erzan Taib Zohri.
He faced multiple charges for use of criminal force, relinquishing a bank account, stealing money and committing credit card fraud.
Despite having committed the crimes between the ages of 20 and 22, Ezran was 24 at the time of sentencing.
The court ruled: “The prospective rationale for rehabilitation therefore plainly does not apply.”
After taking into account the severity and recurrence of his offences, it was decided that “Erzan’s offending conduct did not reflect an isolated incident of youthful folly”.
The appeal for rehabilitative action was thus dismissed.
Hence, the Bill was introduced to maintain a consistent approach towards dealing with young scam offenders.
MHA worked with the inter-agency Sentencing Advisory Panel to establish clear sentencing guidelines for scam and specific scam-enabling offences.
“Imprisonment or RT, whichever is more appropriate, should be considered given the need for deterrence and the public interest in suppressing scams,” said the home affairs ministry.
“This applies to all offenders (even if below the age of 21) except juvenile offenders dealt with in the Youth Court.”
The legislation will be upheld at all times, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Scams remain rampant in Singapore
The bill hopes to implement a more deterrent approach in light of Singapore’s scam and youth offending situation.
MHA states that the situation may worsen without a tougher approach.
During the first half of 2026, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) received an average of 90 scam reports, amounting to S$2 million in losses daily.
The age group that suffers the highest average losses are elderly victims, aged 65 and above.
Source: Mikhail Nilov via Pexels
In 2025, the Police investigated over 1,000 youths who were connected with scam reports.
The number of youths who committed cheating and related offences saw a 37% increase from 2024 to 2025.
These individuals were largely mules in scam cases.
Stiffer penalties needed to deter scams
The bill was designed to reinforce the message that scammers, and those complicit with scams, will be met with harsh legal action.
“Scams cause serious harm to victims and must be met with a strong deterrent message,” declared the MHA.
We need to do more to deter young offenders from being enticed by the prospect of quick financial gains to commit such offences.
Since 2023, Parliament has passed five bills to punish scam offenders, with the exception of its most recent one.
The bills created new offences to penalise mules who launder scam proceeds or provide SIM cards or Singpass credentials to scammers to perpetrate scams.
Caning was implemented for those guilty of scam and scam-enabling offences.
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Featured image adapted from Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels (left) and MS News (right).