The PAP government passed the Protection Against Scams Act in Parliament today (7 Jan). We take a closer look at what the Bill entails.
To say that scams are on the rise is an understatement. In the first half of 2024, nearly $386 million were lost to scams. In most cases, rather than hacking into bank accounts, cybercriminals preyed on their victims using social manipulation techniques.
According to the Singapore Police Force, 86% of reported scams involved self-effected transfers.
In some cases, the Police have observed that the victims were so taken in by the scammers’ deceit that they refused to believe that they were being scammed despite repeated warnings, said Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sun Xueling.
As part of a multi-layered approach to combat scams, Parliament has now passed the Protection from Scams Bill. When enacted, the Bill will empower the police to issue Restriction Orders (ROs) to banks if there is a reasonable belief that an individual will make money transfers to a scammer despite being warned.
What does the Bill entail?
When issued with an RO, an individual will be restricted from transferring money from their bank accounts into other accounts. The bank will also suspend their access to ATMs and credit facilities.
While this will cause a certain amount of inconvenience to the victim, it will nevertheless protect and safeguard their hard-earned money. The government has also ensured that a law of such magnitude will only be used as a last resort and only if necessary for the victim’s protection.
In short, the police will only issue an RO when all methods of trying to convince the scam victim about the reality of their situation have been exhausted.
Currently, an RO is valid for 30 days. Within that timeframe, friends and family can try to convince the victim of the scam. If that fails, the RO may be extended up to five times.

After this, the RO must lapse. “MHA takes a practical approach to this – we cannot handhold the victim indefinitely, nor do we have the resources to do so. But we will do all that we can, while the RO is in force, to bring the individual to his senses,” said Ms Sun.
One consideration is that scammers may find it unprofitable to continue persuading the victim, in the period of time it takes for the RO to lapse.
This, perhaps, is the genius behind the new Protection from Scams Bill. One where we strike a balance between protecting vulnerable individuals and allowing individual autonomy to prevail.
Picture Source: Canva/ MDDI via YouTube