Overall crime rate up in Singapore
Online scams contribute to rise in crime rate last year; outrage of modesty and computer misuse cases also cause for concern
Alice (not her real name) was so smitten by the African man she had met online she not only became his lover but his money mule too.
Her affection for the man in his 30s had blinded her judgment and she became the victim of an online love scam.
Scams are increasing and have contributed to the overall increase in Singapore's crime rate last year, said the police yesterday when they released 2018's overall crime statistics.
Alice, a manager in her 40s, was one of 660 love scam victims last year. The total amount cheated in such scams was around $27.5 million.
Alice was in so deep she stayed with the scammer for about a year, which was unusual, said the police.
She helped him launder ill-gotten monies, travelling from Singapore to Malaysia to hand him the money. The case is under investigation.
The police said Alice found out she had been scammed only when another of the man's victims made a police report.
The police warned that those who unwittingly become money mules can also be prosecuted.
Those convicted of money laundering can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.
The top three scams reported in 2018 were e-commerce scams, loan scams and love scams, with a total of more than $31 million scammed.
Other common scams included credit-for-sex scams and impersonation scams mentioning Chinese officials or the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Investigating Officer (IO) Thawit Chang, whose department, the Transnational Commercial Crime Task Force, investigates love scams, said online scammers target all sorts of people. They have seen victims of all ages and from various educational and professional backgrounds.
Scams made up about 14 per cent of the overall crime in Singapore last year.
There were other crimes of concern. Outrage of modesty and crimes under the computer misuse act were highlighted. (See graphic below.)
For outrage of modesty, the police said there had been an 11.9 per cent increase. Many cases happened at nightspots and on public transport.
The police said one method commonly used is when the perpetrator squeezes his hand into the gap between the seat and the window on buses and molests the victim.
Another common tactic is to pretend to fall asleep before touching the victim.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation and Intelligence) Florence Chua said: "The police will continue to work with our partners, the community and business stakeholders in the fight against crime.
"We will continue with our multi-pronged approach of public education, lever.aging technology to fight crime and sustaining our tough enforcement efforts, to keep Singapore safe and secure."
The police said members of the public can assist in investigations by providing information via i-Witness, on the Police@SG mobile application or via the police website.
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