Opening ceremony of the Anti-Scam Conference 2026 – Speech by Mr Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development

Your Excellency, Mr Stephen Marchisio, Ambassador of France to Singapore,

Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Khalfan Al Kaabi, Director of International Cooperation, UAE Ministry of Interior & Advisory Board Member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good morning to everyone.

Introduction

1. Thank you for joining us at the 2nd Anti-Scam Conference, jointly organised by the Singapore Police Force, the International Cooperation Directorate of the French National Police, the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior, and the International Security Alliance.

2. This conference has grown significantly since its inaugural run in 2023. Today, we are joined by representatives from more than 20 jurisdictions, as well as partners from the public and private sectors. This reflects our shared commitment to work together to combat this scourge that we face globally – scams.

Background

3. The theme for this year’s conference is “United Against Scams”. Scams continue to be one of the most pervasive and fast-evolving threats facing our citizens.

4. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s Global State of Scams Report 2025, an estimated US$442 billion^[1] was lost to scams last year. This is an alarming number, with ordinary citizens forming the bulk of victims.

5. Traditional crime-fighting methods are insufficient and inadequate against scams. We are not fighting individual criminals or localised groups here. We are up against global criminal syndicates that are highly organised and use sophisticated structures and methods to evade law enforcement and target victims.

6. Insidiously, scams erode trust in our society. Scams cause citizens to doubt the authenticity of their online transactions. And in our modern digital society, this threatens the very foundation of trust. I have met seniors who are so fearful, they become “digital refusers”, precipitating their dissociation from society. Scams design themselves to target the very bit of human psychology. Scam victims often are so entangled, they refuse all well-meaning warnings and they double down. Unfortunately, I have also met Singaporeans whose retirements and families have been ruined by scams.

Singapore's Approach

7. Singapore is one of the most digital societies in the world, with close to 96% internet usage rate. Singapore is also a high trust society. In the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 76% of respondents said the Government was the most trusted institution in Singapore.

8. Now, these success factors make us an attractive target to scammers. Through exploiting technical vulnerabilities and social engineering, scammers have been able to perpetuate their crimes, resulting in the rise of scam cases and losses.

9. Over the years, Singapore has mounted a comprehensive anti-scam response anchored on strong operational capabilities, a robust legal framework, and partnerships, and we call this the ABCs.

(a) First, A - an Agile Response. We have adopted an agile response through our Anti-Scam Centre, with real-time coordination between banks, crypto platforms, telcos, and e-commerce platforms. The Anti-Scam Centre has recovered more than S$730 million in scam proceeds since its formation in 2019, and where possible, returned these monies to victims.

(b) Second, B - Backed by Law. Our efforts are supported by strong legislation, including the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) and the Protection from Scams Act.

(i) These laws cover the full spectrum of our response. We have gone upstream to require higher-risk online service providers to introduce stronger protective measures. Ensuring that scams do not proliferate on their platforms must be part of their business model. And we will act decisively when they fall short. We have also strengthened our penalties and expanded our sentencing frameworks to deter scam mules. We have even enacted legislation to prevent scam victims themselves from transferring more monies to potential scammers. And we will continue to evolve and regularly update our laws to give us the power to act, to protect our citizens.

(ii) I am happy to hear from the organising team that we will be sharing with you our experience with various legislation, including the Online Criminal Harms Act during this conference. I encourage our foreign partners or foreign counterparts to consider if the measures that Singapore has put in place will be useful for your countries. And we will be grateful to learn from your experiences as well.

c) Third, C – stands for Collaboration. Fighting scams is not only a whole-of-society effort. It is a global one. Here in Singapore, our government agencies work very closely with industry partners, community stakeholders, and international counterparts – clearly, from this conference.

(i) One excellent example is our close working relationship with the digital and telecommunications industry in Singapore. Last year, through our joint efforts, we blocked over 260 million potential scam calls, 40 million scam SMSes, and disrupted more than 105,000 suspicious mobile lines.

(ii) Through our joint operations with international partners, we have dismantled organised criminal groups and disrupted cross-border scam activities.

(iii) Now, through Project FRONTIER+, a coalition of Anti-Scam Centre partners, we have frozen scam-tainted funds before they are disrupted. FRONTIER+ has led to the recovery of over S$28 million and the arrest of more than 2,100 scam perpetrators through cross-border operations in 2025. More recently, in May 2026, FRONTIER+ supported the full recovery of USD$6.6 million lost by a particular Singapore-based commodity trading company in a Business Email Compromise scam involving a fraudulent bank account in Oman. This demonstrates how strong international cooperation and proactive intervention can lead to successful operational outcomes. And because jurisdictions increasingly recognise that working together is a necessity, FRONTIER+ has expanded from an initial group of six in October 2024 to now 14 jurisdictions. and we invite all countries who are not yet members to join FRONTIER+.

(iv) Now, every country must play its part to act decisively against scam operations within its borders. No country should allow its jurisdiction to be exploited as a base for criminal networks targeting victims, whether locally or beyond its borders, and there must be no safe haven for criminals to hide.

10. Through our efforts and with the support of our partners, we have seen in Singapore encouraging results in 2025. Last year, we saw a 27.6% drop in overall scam cases and a 17.9% decrease in total losses as compared to 2024. And based on preliminary figures, in the first quarter of 2026, we continue to see reductions. These improvements have occurred even as global scam cases and losses have increased.

11. So, let me take the opportunity to thank all our officers who have worked very, very hard to achieve this encouraging result. And I also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our partners – some of whom are here with us today – for your unwavering commitment and close collaboration with Singapore, and these have been crucial in our collective fight against scams. Thank you very much.

Situation Remains Concerning

12. However, the fight is far from over. Criminals are constantly evolving, and with the use of technology, including AI, they can reach victims with speed and at scale.

(a) A recent report by INTERPOL found that fraud enabled by AI can be up to 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods.

(b) This is a serious concern for open and digitally connected nations like ours. To maintain trust in our society, we must stay proactive and keep ahead of these evolving threats.

Plans for Establishment of the Cyber Command

13. In Singapore, we have been working hard to stay ahead of emerging threats. In 2015, we set up a Cybercrime unit within the Criminal Investigation Department of the Singapore Police Force, to better respond to the increasingly complex digital offences. This was in 2015. In 2019, with the increase in cases, we set up the Anti-Scam Centre under the Commercial Affairs Department to focus on scams, and this was expanded to the Anti-Scam Command in 2022.

14. Now, these units have achieved significant operational success.

15. However, to stay ahead of the curve, we will now take a decisive next step to deal with cyber threats in the cyberspace.

16. And I am glad to announce that in July 2026, the SPF will establish a new, dedicated unit to better combat online crimes – the SPF Cyber Command.

(a) Cyber Command will bring together existing cybercrime and anti-scam capabilities from across the SPF under a single command. And this Command will also grow new capabilities to enhance their effectiveness.

(b) Cyber Command will be a frontline unit, and will start off with about 200 officers across operations, investigations and intelligence capabilities. And we plan to eventually double it to 400 officers, as the Command grows its capabilities and operates alongside other Police Commands.

17. The Cyber Command will be the tip of the spear in SPF’s response to cyber threats, and be at the forefront of protecting Singaporeans from the threat of cybercrime and scams. It will be a significant step up from our current capabilities. Now, let me share some details of where we are headed.

(a) First, we will take the fight even further upstream and disrupt more online criminal threats before they reach Singaporeans.

(i) Today, we already take a proactive approach to disrupt scams through detecting and disabling scam enablers, like websites, and phone lines.

(ii) Under the new Cyber Command, we will establish a Cyber Operations Centre to better sense-make online criminal activity, identify infrastructure used by criminals, and proactively take them down. For example, the Centre will leverage technology to detect phishing campaigns more quickly and at scale, trace upstream, identify related scam enablers such as fake websites and malicious phone lines, and then move quickly to dismantle the entire syndicate’s operations.

(iii) The Anti-Scam Centre, which will be embedded in the Cyber Operations Command, will also be expanded. Besides tracing fiat monies, the Anti-Scam Centre will have expanded tracing teams to interdict cryptocurrency and to leverage blockchain intelligence.

(b) Second, the Command will lead the development of technological tools that will accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of our anti-scam response.

(i) For example, the SPF has been using AI to identify suspected scam websites, with two out of every three scam websites blocked today flagged by these tools. The Cyber Command will further intensify our work with agencies and partners such as the Home Team Science and Technology Agency to develop and deploy technology to identify and shut down these scam enablers, websites and cryptocurrency channels faster than perpetrators can set them up. And this is the key – we must be able to detect and take them down faster and cheaper than they can be set up, and this is the way to break the cycle.

(c) Third, Cyber Command will forge strong partnerships and operational collaborations, both local and international, to fight cybercriminals wherever they are in the world.

(i) The cross-border nature of cybercrime needs a strong global network of like-minded partners, like many of you here today, to help us work together to take down criminal syndicates. To this end, the Cyber Command will lead SPF’s efforts to strengthen international and public-private partnerships in this field.

(ii) SPF has been participating actively in international operations and partnering law enforcement agencies worldwide, to take down scams and cybercrime syndicates. The FRONTIER+ initiative which SPF led, and which I had mentioned earlier, is a good example. And we will double down on our international collaboration efforts.

(iii) We will also expand our local community engagement and outreach. Building on our existing volunteer programmes, we will empower more citizens to join us in this fight against online criminal threats.

(d) Lastly, Cyber Command will train and equip all SPF officers with the requisite skills, to build a cyber-ready SPF, well-placed to protect Singaporeans in the digital world we are in now.

(i) To complement our uniformed officers, we will recruit and deploy civilian cyber specialists to serve in the Command. We will also progressively expand the number of National Service Cybercrime Operators that perform cyber-related roles in the SPF.

18. Through the Cyber Command and through working closely with our local and international partners, we will realise our vision of protecting Singapore’s cyberspace users and keeping Singaporeans safe online.

Importance of Public Vigilance

19. Even as we strengthen our capabilities and partnerships, public vigilance remains crucial. In this uncertain global environment and economic climate, scammers will continue to find ways to exploit the anxieties of our citizens. We have seen more scams involving the impersonation of government officials, as well as job scams targeting those seeking urgent employment opportunities. We must continue to educate our citizens to ACT against scams. ACT is actually an acronym for Add, Check and Tell. In Singapore, we have developed the ScamShield mobile application which we encourage everyone to Add to their phones. We also encourage everyone to remain vigilant and Check for signs of scams using the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799, and to Tell authorities, tell their friends and tell their family about scams.

Closing: United Against a Global Threat

20. Now, no single country can tackle the challenge of scams and cybercrime alone. We must continue to strengthen our capabilities and deepen our collaboration to stay ahead of these fast-evolving threats.

21. I am heartened by the strong turnout at this year’s conference, which exemplifies our shared commitment to protect our citizens and to build a collective global defence.

22. Together, we embody the conference theme of being “United Against Scams”. And I am confident that through our efforts, we will safeguard our commitments for our communities to better protect them, and to build a future where scams can have no foothold.

23. I wish everyone a meaningful and productive conference. Thank you very much.

[1] The figure is based on the Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s Global State of Scams Report 2025, and was subsequently referenced in INTERPOL’s Global Financial Fraud Assessment report (released in Mar 2026), which states that global losses related to financial fraud in 2025 alone were estimated at USD 442 billion.