Commencement of the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2025

1. The Criminal Law (miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2025 (“the Act”) was Passed by Parliament on 4 November 2025. the Act Introduced Amendments to the Penal Code and Other Legislation to Ensure That Our Criminal Laws Remain Effective, Fair, and Responsive to Emerging Challenges.

2. The following amendments will come into effect on 30 December 2025.

Introducing Caning for Scams and Scams-related Offences

3. Fighting scams is a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remain concerning. With effect from 30 December 2025, certain offenders who commit scams or scams-related offences will be liable to mandatory or discretionary caning:

(a) Scammers ^[1] and members/recruiters ^[2] of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of at least 6 strokes, up to a maximum of 24 strokes.

(b) Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards and providing Singpass credentials will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes. These include certain money-laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act; Singpass offences under the Computer Misuse Act; and certain SIM-card offences under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act. Discretionary caning will apply:

(i) If the offender intended or knew (depending on the specific offence provision) that the enabler (e.g. SIM cards, Singpass credentials) would be used to commit or facilitate the commission of a scam; or

(ii) If: A. The enabler was used in a scam; B. The offender knew or had reasonable grounds to believe that the enabler would be used for a criminal offence; and C. The offender failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that the enabler would not be used to commit or facilitate the commission of a scam.

4. Offenders under section 420 of the Penal Code for non-scam, traditional cheating cases will also be liable for discretionary caning of up to 24 strokes. This recognises that there are egregious traditional cheating cases that could also warrant caning as a sentencing option.

5. The full list of scams and scams-related offences for which caning will be introduced is in Annex A. MHA will continue to review the adequacy and effectiveness of the penalties for scams and scams-related offences.

Ensuring Adequate Penalties for Older Youth Offenders

6. The Children and Young Persons Act (“CYPA”) was amended in 2019 to allow cases of youth offenders aged 16 to below 18 years to be heard in the Youth Courts. The Ministry of Social and Family Development will be operationalising these amendments with effect from 30 December 2025. ^[3] Further amendments to the CYPA and amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 introduced by the Act will also come into effect on 30 December 2025. Together, these amendments will allow cases involving older youths who are repeat offenders or who commit certain serious crimes, such as serious sexual offences, unlicensed moneylending and drug trafficking, to be transmitted to the State Courts or High Court, where they can receive adequately deterrent sentences, such as imprisonment, reformative training, and caning, where appropriate. ^[4]

7. Together, these amendments strike a balance between expanding rehabilitation options for youth offenders and ensuring adequate penalties for older youth offenders who are repeat offenders or who commit certain serious crimes, thereby maintaining public safety and deterrence against crime.

Conclusion

8. The remaining provisions in the Act will come into force at a later date. For more information on the Act, please refer to Annex B.

[1] Specifically, for the offence of cheating inducing delivery of property under section 420 of the Penal Code, when committed mainly by means of remote communication.

[2] Under sections 5 and 6 of the Organised Crime Act.

[3] Related amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 that were introduced earlier will also come into force on the same date.

[4] There are also cases which the existing law requires to be tried in the High Court. There will be no change for such cases.

Annexes

1. Annex A – Scams and Scams-Related Offences which attract Caning as Punishment [PDF, 221 KB]

2. Annex B – Information on the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2025 [PDF, 76.9 KB]