In 2025 alone, more than 7,000 money mules and scammers suspected of involvement in scam cases were investigated. Over 940 of them have been charged by the police to date, said SPF.
The police added that the situation is still “very concerning” despite the drop in numbers, and tackling scams remains a key priority for the government.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming similarly noted that the “fight is far from over”.
“Scams remain the most prevalent crime type in Singapore, and the overall numbers remain high,” he said, adding that scammers continue to adapt their techniques and exploit new vulnerabilities.
Mr Goh said that the government will “double down” on efforts to combat scams and “continue to rally both international and local partners to disrupt the scam lifecycle”.
SCAMS OF CONCERN
The police flagged the top five scam types of concern in 2025, with e-commerce scams topping the list. They were followed by phishing scams, job scams, investment scams and government officials impersonation scams.
Of these, government officials impersonation scam numbers saw a spike, while figures fell for the rest.
The number of government officials impersonation scams reported last year more than doubled – by 123.6 per cent to 3,363 cases in 2025, from 1,504 in 2024.
The police observed new trends in how victims transferred money to scammers in this scam type. These include transferring funds from their bank accounts to accounts with payment service providers such as YouTrip, which are controlled by the scammers, via PayNow.
In another method, scammers requested victims to open cryptocurrency accounts, fund them through fiat money transfers from the victims’ bank accounts, buy cryptocurrency, and then transfer the cryptocurrency to accounts controlled by the scammers.
Meanwhile, e-commerce scams, despite having the highest number of cases, recorded a 42.5 per cent drop in cases from 11,665 in 2024 to 6,703 in 2025.
Pokemon trading cards were highlighted as the item most commonly involved in e-commerce scams, making up 13.6 per cent of related cases. In comparison, these cards accounted for just 1 per cent of e-commerce scams in 2024.
Victims typically come across listings of Pokemon trading cards on Carousell. After expressing interest in the product or pre-order, they are instructed to make payment or an initial deposit via PayNow or bank transfers.
The victims only realise they have been scammed when they fail to receive the items, or when the sellers become uncontactable.
Apart from Carousell, Facebook Marketplace was also commonly used by scammers to perpetrate such scams.
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