Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Steps Taken by MHA on Raising Awareness of Overseas Job Scams and Human Trafficking Syndicates

Question:

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs regarding reports in Southeast Asia of young people and job-seekers being lured into overseas job scams and human trafficking syndicates (a) what are the Ministry’s steps to raise awareness of such scams and protect young Singaporeans based or travelling overseas for work; and (b) what roles will Singapore play in ASEAN to promote greater collaboration to tackle such syndicates together.

Answer:

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

1.   The best defence against all scam types, including overseas jobs scams, is a discerning public. Our annual anti-scam public education campaign, called 'Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes.', seeks to build awareness amongst the public on the tell-tale signs of scams, and increase their vigilance. For job scams, these include online advertisements or unsolicited messages from unknown numbers which promise attractive salaries for seemingly easy work. The Police also work with schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to raise awareness amongst young people on scams.

2.   Singapore participates in various regional efforts to discuss cooperation on combating transnational crime, including scams and trafficking in persons. This includes the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime and its Working Group on trafficking in persons, as well as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime. We will continue to work closely with other countries to address the threat of scams and trafficking in persons.