Police may get powers to control bank accounts of stubborn scam victims

With the scam situation here getting worse each year, the authorities are preparing to take some intrusive measures to combat the scourge.

- David Sun

With the Protection from Scams Bill introduced in Parliament on Nov 11, Singapore may soon be the first in the world to give the police powers to control the bank accounts of stubborn scam victims, who insist they are not being scammed despite evidence showing they are.

The Bill proposes allowing the police to issue restriction orders (ROs) to banks, which will then restrict the banking transactions of an individual's accounts.

These include money transfers, the use of ATM facilities and all credit facilities, affecting even PayNow and in-person over-the-counter transactions.

The police have said one of the biggest challenges they face is convincing people that they are victims of a scam.

Currently, the police cannot stop a victim from doing what he wants with his money, even if he is suspected of being scammed.

Scam numbers hit record highs in the first half of 2024, with more than $385.6 million lost in 26,587 reported cases.

If the Bill is passed, police officers may issue an RO to a bank if they believe the victim will transfer money to the scammer, or if it is necessary to protect the victim.

It will be issued by default to the seven major retail banks here, which are OCBC Bank, DBS Bank, UOB, Maybank, Standard Chartered, Citibank and HSBC, but can also be issued to other banks.

ROs will take effect for up to 30 days at a time but can be extended up to five times, which means they can last for up to six months.