Scams in Singapore, by the numbers.
In 2025, Singaporeans lost S$913.1M to scams and cybercrime — the largest reported crime category in the country, bigger than all physical crime combined. This is the first year in the current series that both case numbers and losses fell.
Source: SPF Annual Scam and Cybercrime Brief 2025, and SingStat Public Safety data. Last refreshed 13 April 2026.
- Scam & cybercrime cases41,974-24.8% vs 2024
- Total amount lostS$913.1M-17.0% vs 2024
- Median loss per caseS$1,644+18.4% vs 2024
- Scam rate687per 100,000 residents -25.6% vs 2024
- Recovered by Anti-Scam CommandS$139.0MS$22.0M in crypto
- Potential losses avertedS$348.0M32,800+ SMS alerts to victims
Scams are the defining crime story in Singapore.
Between 2020 and 2024, scam and cybercrime cases nearly tripled, from under 18,000 to over 55,000 in a single year. 2025 is the first year of a meaningful decline — the SPF credits enforcement operations, platform accountability laws, and public education. Physical crime, for comparison, has been broadly flat around 20,000 cases a year throughout the same period.
Scams now outnumber physical crime, two to one.
On a per-100,000-resident basis, the scam rate is 2× the physical crime rate. This is the first year the scam rate has fallen materially, but the gap remains substantial.
Where the money goes.
Investment scams and government official impersonation scams between them accounted for the bulk of losses in 2025. Government official impersonation losses rose +60.5% to S$242.9M — a signature SPF concern for the year, involving victims being pressured into handing over cash, gold bars, or luxury watches for "investigation".
Adults lose the most cases. Seniors lose the most money.
Most scam victims are below 65, with adults aged 30-49 the single largest group — well over a third of all cases. But elderly victims, who make up a smaller share, lose far more per case. The average elderly victim lost S$37,053, roughly 8× the average loss per youth victim.
Mostly through platforms you already use.
Online platforms were involved in 84.1% of all scam cases in 2025. Meta platforms alone — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp — accounted for 35.4%, with Facebook carrying 18% of all cases. TikTok is the one major platform where scam cases rose, up 37.8% year-on-year, even as other platforms fell following new Online Criminal Harms Act obligations.
Most victims transfer the money themselves.
In 81.8% of scam cases in 2025, victims moved the money themselves — scammers didn't take over bank accounts, they manipulated people into pressing "transfer". This is why the SPF's response has leaned so heavily on public education, friction at the point of transfer, and the new mule facility restriction framework, rather than purely on post-facto recovery.
Cryptocurrency accounted for roughly 20% of total losses in 2025. The SPF's Crypto Tracing Team, launched in March 2025, recovered over S$20 million in virtual assets.
The Anti-Scam Command returned one dollar in seven.
The Police's Anti-Scam Command recovered about S$139.0M in scam proceeds — roughly 15% of the total lost. A further S$348.0M in potential losses was averted through early intervention. Seventeen transnational syndicates were dismantled with overseas partners.
- Non-crypto recoveredS$117.0M
- Crypto recoveredS$22.0M
- Syndicates busted17
- Victims stopped mid-transfer1,266
The Mule Facility Restriction Framework, operationalised on 1 October 2025, has since placed 550 money mules, 801 telco (SIM card) mules, and 51 corporate entities under banking, mobile line, and Singpass restrictions.
Caught up in a scam case?
Scam enforcement is one of SPF's fastest-growing areas, and the penalties for acting as a money mule — even unknowingly — are significant. If you've been charged, or if you're a victim considering civil recovery against a known counterparty, JCP Law's team can advise on next steps.