Synopsis: This is a new podcast by The Straits Times to raise greater public awareness of the modern scourge of scams in Singapore and globally. In Singapore, nearly $1 billion has been lost by scam victims since 2016. Mutating and spreading, different types of scams have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, from love to work. The police are cracking down on offenders. What can you do to protect yourself? In this episode, ST's deputy news editor Andre Yeo and journalist Jessie Lim speak with Superintendent of Police Michelle Tay, the head of the Anti-Scam Centre, launched in 2019. Their job is to disrupt the scammers’ operations and help victims to try to recover their money.  Highlights (click/tap above): 02:15 Step-by-step guide: What to do if you're a scam victim, and what the police do when liaising with banks and fintech institutions 04:10 Why is it so hard to recover scam victims' monies once the funds are transferred out of Singapore? 05:15 What is the Community Watch Scheme and the new e-commerce Transaction Safety rating?  07:00 What are the new scam tactics emerging in 2022? More on the pig-butchering scam which combines tactics used in love and investment scams 09:33 How scammers are targeting youths, offering up to $2,000 to buy their digital identity credentials, and why this is an offence for teenagers involved 09:56 When Supt Tay’s mother received a scam call claiming she had been kidnapped Listen to Ep 1 - Near impossible to recover your money once scammers transfer it out of Singapore: https://str.sg/wnBi Public can join these police schemes: Community Watch Scheme: https://go.gov.sg/spf-cws Crime Prevention Ambassadors: https://www.ncpc.org.sg/cpas.html Citizens on Patrol: https://go.gov.sg/citizensonpatrol ST's Stop Scams articles: https://str.sg/wWt9 • Anti-Scam Hotline: 1800-722-6688 (9am - 5pm); https://www.scamalert.sg/ • National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am - 12am); https://ccs.org.sg/nch/ Produced by: Andre Yeo (andrey@sph.com.sg), Jessie Lim (ljessie@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Teo Tong Kai Follow ST's Stop Scams podcast series here: Stop Scams Playlist: https://str.sg/wnBi Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wnB5 Spotify: https://str.sg/wnBS SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Andre Yeo's articles: https://str.sg/wWtC David Sun's articles: https://str.sg/wWty Jessie Lim's articles: https://str.sg/wWtF Wong Shiying's articles: https://str.sg/wWtt --- Follow ST Podcasts channel: Channel: https://str.sg/JWVR Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lu4rPP Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PwZCYU Google podcasts: http://str.sg/googlestbt SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wsfD The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia Embed: https://str.sg/ws76 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wnBi Discover more ST podcast series: In Your Opinion Podcast: https://str.sg/w7Qt SG Extra Podcast: https://omny.fm/shows/st-bt/playlists/sg-extra Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.