Scammers to face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes under new law

Scammers to face mandatory caning of between 6 & 24 strokes under new law

Scammers in Singapore are set to face mandatory caning of between six and 24 strokes under new laws introduced on Tuesday (14 Oct).

The Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, tabled by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), proposes tougher penalties for scam-related crimes to strengthen deterrence and protect victims.

It also updates laws on sexual offences, abuse of vulnerable victims, as well as doxxing of public servants.

Caning introduced for scams & syndicate members

Under the Bill, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, and up to 24 strokes.

Meanwhile, scam mules — people who help syndicates by laundering scam proceeds, supplying SIM cards, or providing Singpass credentials — will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes.

In such cases, discretionary caning would “generally be a sentencing option” if the offender knew that the enabling item would be used to commit or support a scam.

It could also apply if the instrument were used in a scam and the offender did not take steps to prevent it, even though there were reasonable grounds to believe that might happen.

“Fighting scams continues to be a top national priority,” MHA said.

The Bill will also introduce discretionary caning for non-scam cheating cases, such as “traditional” fraud.

Other amendments in the bill

Beyond scams, the Bill also seeks to:

• Expand sexual offence laws to include AI-generated intimate images and increase penalties for sexual grooming of minors
• Raise penalties for fatal abuse of children, domestic workers, and vulnerable persons to life imprisonment
• Protect public servants, including introducing a new offence that criminalises the doxxing of a public servant when accompanied by a falsehood
• Increase waiting periods for precious metal dealers before they can be melted, altered, or defaced

Also read: Over S$362K lost to scammers impersonating M1 and MAS staff, SPF tells public to stay vigilant

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Featured image adapted from the Singapore Police Force website and Jurong West NPC
on Facebook.