The government of Singapore has revealed plans to introduce caning as punishment for scammers.
Sim Ann, senior minister of state for home and international affairs, stated during the bill’s second reading on Tuesday that frauds cost the nation around $2.8 billion between 2020 and the first half of 2025.
Approximately 190,000 fraud cases had been recorded during that time, she continued.
“We will introduce mandatory caning for scammers. Offenders who commit scams, defined as cheating mainly by means of remote communication, will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane,” she said.
“These syndicates mobilise significant resources to conduct and profit from scams, and have the highest level of culpability.”
Scammers and those who recruit for or take part in fraudulent activities will be penalised with six to twenty-four strokes of the cane under the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill.
Additionally, mules who assist scammers may be subject to a discretionary 12-stroke caning.
This is on top of the penalties that are currently in place for fraud offences.
People who give fraudsters access to tools like SIM cards, Singpass login credentials, and payment accounts may be prosecuted in one of two ways: either they knew or intended for the tools to be used in scams, or they were unaware that the tools would be used in a scam and failed to take appropriate precautions to prevent such misuse.
Additionally, mules who assist scammers may be subject to a discretionary 12-stroke caning.
This is on top of the penalties that are currently in place for fraud offences.
The Singapore government also added that people who give fraudsters access to tools like SIM cards, Singpass login credentials, and payment accounts may be prosecuted in one of two ways: either they knew or intended for the tools to be used in scams, or they were unaware that the tools would be used in a scam and failed to take appropriate precautions to prevent such misuse.
Currently, there are over 90 offences that can incur discretionary caning in Singapore, while 65 offences mandate caning.
“For avoidance of doubt, more serious cases should still result in caning, even as we make these amendments to change mandatory caning to discretionary caning,” Sim said.
The punishment however are not limited to caning according to the government of Singapore. They strengthen protections for children and vulnerable victims, make doxxing public employees a crime, and impose harsher penalties for the widespread dissemination of sexual photos or films.
Publicly disclosing someone’s personal information without that person’s consent is known as “doxxing.”
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