Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on \r\rLessons Learnt from Recent Arrest of Perpetrators of Malware-Operated Scams

Question:

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in relation to the recent arrest of perpetrators of malware-operated scams and the crackdown of the online infrastructure of such cybercriminals led by the SPF’s multi-jurisdiction operation team, what are the lessons learnt to (i) facilitate such investigation and enforcement across jurisdictions including recovery of assets from the proceeds of such cybercrimes and (ii) better safeguard our online devices against such cybercrimes.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. Enforcement against scams and cybercrimes is extremely challenging. Most of the cases are perpetrated by syndicates based outside Singapore.

2. They are adept at using technology to cover their tracks. They run sophisticated transnational operations which are not easy to uncover, let alone dismantle. Recovery of scam proceeds is also difficult, especially when the monies have been transferred overseas. Our ability to solve these cases and recover scam proceeds depends critically on the cooperation and capabilities of overseas law enforcement agencies.

3. The case referred to by the Member illustrates this. In this case, two men were charged in court for their suspected involvement in malware-enabled scams against Singaporeans, which had been going on since June 2023. Their arrests and the dismantling of their scam infrastructure relied on the strong partnerships between the Police and their counterparts in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

4. Notwithstanding this successful operation, there are many more cybercriminals who remain outside the reach of our law. Therefore, the most effective way to deal with scams and cybercrimes is to prevent them from happening in the first place. This is why we have been doubling down on public education. Industry stakeholders, including banks, telcos, device manufacturers and online platforms, also play a critical role. Our agencies will continue to work with them on upstream measures to protect their users.