Do you have trust in the Singapore police force?

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Police officer fined for calling police to report 'stolen bicycle' after losing key to lock​

File photo of a bicycle secured with a lock. (Photo: iStock)

Lydia Lam​

@LydiaLamCNA
21 Oct 2021

SINGAPORE: After losing the key to his locked bicycle, a police officer searched two shopping malls for a cutting tool to remove the lock to no avail.
When his friends jokingly suggested that he call the police to report a stolen bicycle in order to get "free service" to unlock his bike, the officer did so.
The false police report resulted in three police officers being deployed to the scene and the activation of manpower from multiple police departments including an investigation officer.
Ong Chee Seng, 50, was fined S$3,000 on Thursday (Oct 21). He pleaded guilty to one charge of knowingly giving false information to a public servant, with a second similar charge taken into consideration.
The court heard that Ong was an officer with the Singapore Police Force at the time of the offences.
On the morning of May 26 this year, he rode his foldable bicycle to Waterway Point shopping mall in Punggol to buy lunch. He secured his bicycle at a bicycle bay with a lock and kept the key in his pocket.
However, when he later returned to the bay, he could not find the key. Ong retraced his steps to search for the key but was unsuccessful.
Eventually, he took the train home and left the bicycle at the mall. Later that day, he went to Compass One shopping mall in neighbouring Sengkang before heading back to Waterway Point to search for equipment to remove his bicycle lock.
Ong could not find any stores selling the cutter he required. He also approached the security counter at Waterway Point and asked to borrow a cutter, but was rejected as the team could not verify if the bicycle was his.
At 3.50pm that day, Ong sent a message to a WhatsApp group chat he shared with six other participants. He asked his friend Alan if he could borrow a cutter from him, but Alan did not have one.
Another friend teased Ong and jokingly suggested that he call the police. He should claim that he found his bicycle and pretend it was previously stolen, the friend said.
The police would then give him "free service" and assist him with freeing his locked bicycle, his friend suggested. He added that Ong should take pictures of his locked bicycle and show it to the investigation officer. None of the group chat members actually expected Ong to call the police.

HE ACTUALLY CALLS THE POLICE​

At 5.30pm the same day, Ong went online to look up the Punggol Neighbourhood Police Centre hotline and dialled the number provided.
He told the police officer on the line: "I found my stolen bicycle here at bicycle bay of Waterway Point, I need police assistance."
As a result, an investigation officer was assigned to Ong's case and two ground response officers were dispatched to the bicycle bay. One of them asked Ong what happened, and Ong told him that one of the bicycles locked there belonged to him.
The officer asked Ong where he had previously parked the bicycle, and Ong falsely pointed to another location that was within walking distance. He lied that he had parked and secured his bicycle along the railing before going into the mall to purchase food.
When he returned, the bicycle was missing, he claimed. He further claimed that he chanced upon his bike secured with a bicycle lock at the location when he searched for it that same day. Ong said all this despite knowing it was false.
The police officer continued to press Ong for special engravings or serial numbers on his bike, but Ong did not know of any. He showed the officer pictures of his bicycle and the officer commenced scene investigations.
The officer took a photo of Ong, and Ong asked why this was necessary. The officer replied that it was for the purpose of matching his attire to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, as the police would check it to verify if the bicycle belonged to him.
At this point, Ong knew the game was up as he would be shown in CCTV footage placing the bicycle at the bicycle bay. He then admitted that nobody had stolen his bike and that he had lost the key to his bicycle lock.
As a result of Ong's false information, manpower from multiple Singapore Police Force (SPF) departments was activated to conduct further investigations, the prosecutor said.
Ong's lawyer said the offence was committed "really out of sheer stupidity", and not with any malice.
For knowingly providing false information to a public servant, Ong could have been fined up to S$5,000.
Responding to CNA's queries, SPF said its officers "are expected to uphold the law and maintain the highest standards of conduct and integrity".
"We deal with officers who break the law severely, including charging them in court."
The offences of providing false information were disclosed against Ong on the same day he lodged the false report, added SPF.
Investigations were subsequently carried out and Ong was interdicted on Sep 3.
SPF said it has commenced "internal action" against Ong following his conviction.

 

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However, Ms Ow noted that the investigation was not conducted by an independent body, and despite Justin telling the investigating officers that he was diagnosed with depression, they continued to interview him without support from an Appropriate Adult (AA).

Watching him in handcuffs was difficult: Mother of teenager who died after drug trafficking charge​

Jean Iau

Oct 22, 2021

SINGAPORE - Watching her 17-year-old son in handcuffs being interviewed by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers was hard, Ms Cecilia Ow said.
The 51-year-old was at the CNB headquarters on Friday (Oct 22), four hours before the findings of the internal investigation was released.
Ms Ow said she was told of the outcome of the investigations and showed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of her son, Justin Lee, being interviewed by CNB officers.
"It was him and two officers and all the while his left hand was handcuffed to the table, but other than that he looked well. Just watching him was difficult," said the senior lecturer at a polytechnic.
Justin, who was facing drug trafficking charges, died after a fall from height on Sept 16.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Ms Ow said she does not dispute the findings, which said Justin was treated professionally and fairly, and was examined by doctors while incarcerated.

CNB's internal investigation also said an autopsy found traces of LSD in the boy's urine and blood.
However, Ms Ow noted that the investigation was not conducted by an independent body, and despite Justin telling the investigating officers that he was diagnosed with depression, they continued to interview him without support from an Appropriate Adult (AA).
Under the AA scheme, mentally vulnerable people may be accompanied by a trained volunteer who will watch for signs of distress, support their emotional well-being, and assist in communications during law enforcement interviews.
CNB said in its findings on Friday that it had proceeded with both the first and second video-recorded interviews on Feb 4, having taken into consideration that Justin was composed and coherent during the interviews, and observed not to show signs of distress.
Ms Ow said: "But the thing is, you don't know my son. At home, he was a different creature.
"If you even know generally about teenage boys, they will put up a front and a facade. He wanted to appear strong."
She took issue with the fact that a mental health practitioner was not called in to assess if Justin needed more support.
"I'm not saying CNB is totally responsible... I know that it was multiple factors. But if efforts had been made to minimise the trauma from the arrest, that would have been a really good start; for them to show a little bit more human side," said Ms Ow, who is divorced and has another child.
Among other changes, Ms Ow hopes that the AA scheme for young suspects could be expanded to cover those under the age of 21. It is now for those under 16 years old.
"I'll only find closure when I see positive change... It doesn't benefit me personally to do all this, but I just want to prevent another case like Justin's."

 

[JohnTan]

Drug addict's mother is a liar. The police did not ill treat the teenage drug dealer while he was incarcerated and questioned for drug trafficking. Don't trust oppies ever!

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has concluded an investigation into a teenager accused of drug trafficking who had later committed suicide

The investigation found that no physical force or abusive language was used on the 17-year-old, and that the officers exercised sensitivity

CNB also disputed some claims the his mother, Ms Cecilia Ow, had made that he was denied water or the chance to exercise to warm himself up

In response, Ms Ow questioned why the investigation was done internally by CNB and not by an independent entity, among other things


SINGAPORE — A 17-year-old accused of drug trafficking who later committed suicide was “treated professionally and fairly” by anti-narcotics officers, while doctors who checked him on the two occasions that he was in lock-up found no issues of concern, a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) internal investigation has found.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/teen-who-took-life-after-facing-drug-charges-treated-professionally-and-fairly-police-cnb

 

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A witness, who was standing across the road, tried to warn Norazlan after hearing a loud bang and seeing the elderly woman lying on the ground. His efforts fell on deaf ears as Norazalan continued on his way, driving over the woman’s body.

Jail, 5-year driving ban for off-duty police officer who ran over 84-year-old pedestrian in fatal accident

By LOUISA TANG
Published OCTOBER 22, 2021

Nuria Ling/TODAY
A witness tried to warn Norazlan (pictured) after hearing a loud bang and seeing the elderly woman lying on the ground. His efforts fell on deaf ears as Norazalan continued on his way, driving over the woman’s body.

• Norazlan Abdul Aziz was exiting a service road in September 2017 after leaving a multi-storey car park
• He failed to keep a proper lookout and collided with Lee Hwee Huak, who was crossing the road
• He then ran over her despite a passer-by’s efforts to warn him

SINGAPORE — While exiting a service road onto Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 in 2017, Norazlan Abdul Aziz failed to keep a proper lookout and collided with a female pedestrian in her 80s who died as a result of the accident.

Norazlan, a police officer of more than 20 years who was not on duty at the time, was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Friday (Oct 22).

He was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles from five years upon his release.

The 44-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count of causing the death of Lee Swee Huak, then aged 84, by a negligent act. He will begin serving his jail term on Monday.

The court heard that on Sept 21, 2017, Norazlan exited a multi-storey car park and drove along a single-lane, two-way undivided service road towards Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1.

The victim was walking along the pavement between the service road and the main road at the time.

The weather was fine and traffic flow was light.

According to a report issued by the Health Sciences Authority, while Norazlan was driving along the service road, the victim was “likely to be available to be seen intermittently” through the trees or poles.

The elderly woman then started crossing the exit — which was a non-signalised junction — connecting the service road and main road.

While the victim was likely visible to Norazlan at this point, he turned left without keeping a proper lookout.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh told the court that Norazlan did not slow down or stop at the exit’s stop line. If he had stopped, he would have seen the pedestrian.

When she fell on the road in front of his car, he stopped for about three seconds before driving forward again, running over her.

A witness, who was standing across the road, tried to warn Norazlan after hearing a loud bang and seeing the elderly woman lying on the ground. His efforts fell on deaf ears as Norazalan continued on his way, driving over the woman’s body.

A closed-circuit television camera located at the car park gantry along the service road captured footage of the accident, which was played in court.

The woman was taken to the National University Hospital, where she did not respond to resuscitation and succumbed to her injuries at around 6pm.

ACCIDENT CONTINUES TO HAUNT HIM: LAWYER

DPP Poh sought at least three weeks’ jail and a five-year driving ban, while Norazlan’s lawyer Patrick Fernandez asked for a high fine and a disqualification period of three years.

Mr Fernandez said in his mitigation plea that Norazlan was truly remorseful and deeply regretted the accident.

“This episode continues to haunt him and weighs heavily on his conscience,” said Mr Fernandez.

The defence counsel said that Norazlan had joined the Singapore Police Force in 1999 and rose to become an investigation officer.

In relation to the accident, Mr Fernandez said that even though Lee had the right of way, she should have exercised due care and caution to ensure her own safety, and not be oblivious to the traffic conditions ahead of her.

Mr Fernandez also argued that the court should give little weight to Norazlan’s previous traffic offences, which were all settled out of court.

He paid multiple composition fines of S$70 between 1999 and 2001 for parking on the footway of a road, as well as a composition fine of S$2,000 for beating a red light.

For causing death by a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, Norazlan could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or punished with both.

 

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Forum: Legal route expensive even if successful​

Jan 18, 2022

My husband and I found that the used car he bought had had its odometer tampered with.
When we reached out for help, the Land Transport Authority said it was not a road-related matter, and the Traffic Police did not respond.
We won a verdict of negligent fraud against the car dealer for tampering with the odometer, yet found ourselves unable to receive any form of compensation without first footing a legal bill that would cost more than the compensatory value of the car. Four years on, we eventually scrapped the car.
Civilians cannot do the job of reining in the cheats that linger in our midst via exorbitant legal means. I urge the Traffic Police to take a firm stand against motor-related fraudulent actions of all kinds.

Eva Wong

 

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Quote: "In practice, the Traffic Police are unlikely to investigate and take firm action against cases that do not involve injury or death. Non-reporting also has not been made an offence, with no fines or demerit points issued."

'There is a loophole in the system': Car accident victim finds himself unable to claim insurance​

Mr Lim Gee Wee has not been able to recover the money for his dented boot from the other driver's insurer as the other driver has refused to report the incident to his company. PHOTO: LIM GEE WEE

Clement Yong

PUBLISHED

JAN 10, 2022, 5:00 AM SGT

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SINGAPORE - Three months after another car rear-ended his vehicle in Toh Yi Drive, Mr Lim Gee Wee, 44, still has not had the dented boot fixed.
Two motor workshops he consulted have quoted him the same price - $5,000 to $10,000 for repairs. But both said they will not be able to recover the money from the other party's insurer, as the motorist has repeatedly refused to report the incident to his insurance company despite many notices sent to him.
The workshops said Mr Lim would have to pay out of his own pocket or claim from his own insurer, an option he fears could increase his annual insurance premium.
"I believe there is a loophole in the system," the sales manager told The Straits Times. "How can I be left footing the bill because the other party chooses not to report it?"
To get compensation, he believes he will have to embark on a potentially expensive legal suit. "Now that I know this is the case, I might just not report any accident to my insurer in future even if I'm at fault, since people can get away with it."
But is there really a loophole and can motorists get away with not reporting accidents to their insurers?
Insurance agents and lawyers say "no".

To drive on the road, all motorists are required by law to have insurance.
In the event of an accident, insurers require motorists to report the incident to them within 24 hours. This is regardless of whether the accident is negligible or severe, and even if both parties have agreed to a private settlement, so that motorists can be protected if the other party still files a claim.
In cases of injury or death, a police report must also be made. Failure to do so is an offence.


General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) chief executive Ho Kai Weng said most motorists know they must report all accidents in a timely manner to their insurance companies, and that reporting will not automatically lead to them forfeiting their no-claim discount.
More than 90 per cent of motorists involved in the more than 120,000 cases of accidents reported annually file the required reports in a timely manner, he said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
In the event of one party choosing to make claims, insurance companies then do the necessary investigations to establish liability when deciding whether to penalise the insured motorist.
"In cases of late or no reports, the insured motorist scores an own goal," Mr Ho said. "The practical option is for claimants to make a claim against their own comprehensive motor insurance policies. They benefit from having their vehicle repaired quickly and leave it to their insurer to take on the effort of resolving the liability with the other party.
"If the claimant's insurer considers that its insured driver is not at fault in the accident, his annual premium should not be affected just because he reported an accident."
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
How to make sure you can make an insurance claim after a traffic accident
Unsuccessful motor insurance claim because other party did not report accident
Mr Lim said he reported the accident, which happened last October, to his insurance company within 24 hours the next day, but chose to take his vehicle to the motor workshops instead of leaving it in the hands of his insurer as motor workshops usually take on open-and-shut cases.
He thought they would take care of recovering the costs - usually inflated - from the other party's insurer, without sparking off an investigation that would take time to conclude and which could risk his annual premium.
But the other party not reporting the incident resulted in the other party's insurer repudiating liability, and the motor workshops realised they would have to engage in legal action against the motorist to recover the costs.
"They told me they were not prepared to do that," Mr Lim said. "They said they were small workshops and the legal process would take too long."
Mr Lim said he subsequently went to his insurer, which said it would not fight the case on his behalf without giving a reason.

Mr Lim Gee Wee said he reported the accident, which happened last October, to his insurance company within 24 hours the next day. PHOTO: LIM GEE WEE
The Straits Times understands this is unusual and has contacted Mr Lim's insurer to find out more.
When asked what happens if a motorist refuses to make an insurance report, Mr Ho said the motorist then has to personally deal with all claims and costs sought from him, including legal ones if the aggrieved party chooses to hire a lawyer.
After a weeks-long process where the insurance company, and later the Traffic Police, send the motorist several notices to no avail, the insurance company can decide to terminate his insurance, refuse to renew it later when the insured period is up, or reduce his no-claim discount.
But more can be done to punish the very small number of irresponsible motorists who shirk their responsibilities, Mr Ho acknowledged.
In practice, the Traffic Police are unlikely to investigate and take firm action against cases that do not involve injury or death. Non-reporting also has not been made an offence, with no fines or demerit points issued.
The Straits Times understands from several insurance players that an individual's history of non-reporting is also not yet well flagged, and insurance companies may not be able to track this if the offending motorist switches insurers.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
E-mail address required in all motor accident reports under new system
Accident claim still pending after eight months
Mr Simon Goh, head of insurance and reinsurance practice at law firm Rajah and Tann, said legal fees for motor accident claims such as Mr Lim's should not be too high, should he choose to pursue legal action against the motorist himself.
The industry and the courts have sought, over the years, to simplify and expedite the settlement of such small-claims disputes, and ST understands from lawyers that if a claim is settled without the need for legal writs, costs should be less than $1,000.
Mr Goh also referred motorists to the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (Fidrec), where individuals can file a complaint against an insurance company free of charge without paying legal fees for non-injury motor claims below $3,000.
No lawyers are involved in the independent adjudication process, and if a consumer accepts a Fidrec ruling, which usually takes three months, it is binding upon the insurance company.
However, most motor claims today easily exceed $3,000. When told of his legal options, Mr Lim said: " I am able to prove that I am 100 per cent right, but I still feel like I'm on the losing end, especially if he has no money. It all depends on luck, and it takes too long."

 

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Forum: No way to recall funds after job scam​

JAN 24, 2022

I am an undergraduate and a victim of a job scam.
During my recent year-end school holidays, I found out via Telegram about an online job with flexible working time. The job required me to "click and submit orders". I also had to top up my account with my own money to complete "missions" before I could retrieve all my commissions and top-ups.
On the first day I managed to get all my top-ups, including the commission. The next day, I realised that the amounts needed for the top-ups were increasing.
I then contacted the "agent" about this and was told to ask for a refund from the "customer service".
I lodged a police report an hour after failing to get a refund. The police told me I would get a preliminary update within seven working days.
I also tried calling my bank, OCBC Bank, to report the scam and ask for a recall of the funds transferred via PayNow.
I couldn't get through after several attempts, and tried again the next day. I had to navigate the hotline for a long time before talking to a person.

I submitted the police report to OCBC, which said it would cooperate with the police. The police told me it is very unlikely that I will get my money back.
I lost $9,000 in a few hours. I have heard that many other students fell prey to such job scams during the holidays.
Early this month, OCBC sent a letter saying that my fund recall was unsuccessful. OCBC also said that the recipient of the funds will have to permit the fund recall for my request to be successful.
With the prevalence of e-payment methods these days, it is possible to make mistakes when transferring funds.
In such cases, does it mean it depends entirely on the recipient to decide whether one gets his money back, even when a police report is lodged?
What, then, is the role of the police in such cases?

Yap Yong Xian

 

[blackmondy]

I trust our por-lees 100% in their incompetence.

 

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Police officers in Parti Liyani's case neglected their duties: Shanmugam​

The officers involved in Ms Parti Liyani's case have both been issued financial penalties. PHOTO: ST FILE

David Sun
Correspondent

Feb 14, 2022

SINGAPORE - The police officers who were involved in the case of Ms Parti Liyani were found to have neglected their duties and fallen short of expectations.
This was revealed by Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam on Monday (Feb 14) in response to a question raised by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, in Parliament.
Mr Zhulkarnain had asked for an update on the internal investigations.
Mr Shanmugam said both the investigation officer (IO) and his supervisor had neglected their duties, resulting in lapses.
He listed three lapses that were found.
The first was that the IO did not visit the scene of crime to promptly carry out investigations and gather evidence, contributing to a break in the chain of custody for some exhibits.
The second was that the IO did not properly verify some of the claims made by parties during the investigation.

The third lapse was the supervisor not providing sufficient guidance.
The minister said the officers had done their jobs under difficult circumstances, facing workload challenges due to a manpower shortage in the police force.
"I have sympathy for the situation that they find themselves in," he said.
"They have, however, fallen short of expectations."
The officers have both been issued financial penalties in the form of a fine and a number of months of increments foregone.
The minister added that the IO had been under intense pressure, handling many on-going investigations, prosecutions and conducting arrest operations.
"I have spoken before about the workload challenges that police IOs face," said Mr Shanmugam.
"The only way to deal with this is to increase police's headcount. We have not solved this issue yet. This is a difficult problem, and not easily solvable, given the general manpower shortage."

 

[Patriotmissile]

I parked my pmd under 2 police cctv and was stolen. The police later informed after 2 months they were giving up on my case.

 

[LexLuthor]

Police officers in Parti Liyani's case neglected their duties: Shanmugam​

The officers involved in Ms Parti Liyani's case have both been issued financial penalties. PHOTO: ST FILE

David Sun
Correspondent

Feb 14, 2022

SINGAPORE - The police officers who were involved in the case of Ms Parti Liyani were found to have neglected their duties and fallen short of expectations.
This was revealed by Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam on Monday (Feb 14) in response to a question raised by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, in Parliament.
Mr Zhulkarnain had asked for an update on the internal investigations.
Mr Shanmugam said both the investigation officer (IO) and his supervisor had neglected their duties, resulting in lapses.
He listed three lapses that were found.
The first was that the IO did not visit the scene of crime to promptly carry out investigations and gather evidence, contributing to a break in the chain of custody for some exhibits.
The second was that the IO did not properly verify some of the claims made by parties during the investigation.

The third lapse was the supervisor not providing sufficient guidance.
The minister said the officers had done their jobs under difficult circumstances, facing workload challenges due to a manpower shortage in the police force.
"I have sympathy for the situation that they find themselves in," he said.
"They have, however, fallen short of expectations."
The officers have both been issued financial penalties in the form of a fine and a number of months of increments foregone.
The minister added that the IO had been under intense pressure, handling many on-going investigations, prosecutions and conducting arrest operations.
"I have spoken before about the workload challenges that police IOs face," said Mr Shanmugam.
"The only way to deal with this is to increase police's headcount. We have not solved this issue yet. This is a difficult problem, and not easily solvable, given the general manpower shortage."

With this admission, is it not possible now for Liyani to build a case of malicious prosecution ?

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

"Mr Tan noted that the police are extremely stretched, with officers trying to cope with increasing workload and expectations without a proportionate increase in manpower."

Understaffed and overworked police - how many cases did they not attend to, and how many cases were not attended to properly?

$2m from OCBC scams recovered, 121 local bank accounts frozen: Desmond Tan​

Overall, there were 23,931 cases of scams reported last year, of which 5,020 were phishing scam cases. PHOTO: ST FILE

Dominic Low

Feb 15, 2022

SINGAPORE - The police have frozen 121 local bank accounts and recovered about $2 million lost by victims in phishing scams targeting OCBC Bank customers as at Sunday (Feb 13), said Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan.
Providing an update on the ongoing investigations into the OCBC phishing scams which took place last December, Mr Tan also said that about $2.2 million of victims' funds have been traced to 89 overseas bank accounts.
"Many of the scam websites used in the phishing scams were hosted by web hosting companies based overseas," said Mr Tan, who chairs the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS) set up in April 2020.
Specifically, at least 107 local and 171 overseas Internet protocol (IP) addresses were linked to the unauthorised access of the victims' internet banking accounts.
He was replying MPs Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC), Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir SMC) and Dennis Tan (Hougang SMC), who asked for an update in Parliament on the ongoing investigations into the OCBC phishing scams.
The police have commenced investigations into the local IP addresses linked to the scams and the owners of the local money mule accounts.
The police are also working with Interpol and foreign law enforcement agencies to investigate the beneficiaries of the funds transferred overseas and the hosts of the scam websites.

Mr Tan was not able to divulge more information as investigations were still ongoing.
But he noted that OCBC customers fell prey amid a sharp increase in the number of scams reported in Singapore.
Phishing scams involving SMSes that impersonated banks in Singapore have increased significantly, from 149 cases in 2020 to 1,021 last year. The OCBC scams were the largest case involving such fraudulent schemes.


Overall, there were 23,931 cases of scams reported last year, of which 5,020 were phishing scam cases.
MPs Ang Wei Neng (West Coast GRC) and Cheng Li Hui (Tampines GRC) asked for the number of similar scams reported over the past five years and if the police were well-resourced to tackle scam-related crime.
Mr Tan said: "The use of a combination of highly orchestrated tactics, involving spoofed SMSes appearing in the same thread as genuine messages from the bank and links directing victims to a scam website, as well as the large number of customers targeted in the OCBC scams, show that the threat is now significantly heightened."
He also said that people aged between 20 and 39 formed the largest group of victims of phishing scams and those related to jobs, e-commerce, investments, loans, China official impersonation and fake gambling platforms.

The largest group of victims of social media impersonation scams and those involving Internet love and fake friend calls were those aged between 40 and 59.
Responding to a question by Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) about unauthorised transactions made on credit cards in the past year, Mr Tan said card fraud cases reported by major credit card issuers here to the Monetary Authority of Singapore made up less than 0.1 per cent of total credit card transactions.
Mr Tan noted that the police are extremely stretched, with officers trying to cope with increasing workload and expectations without a proportionate increase in manpower.
But the Anti-Scam Centre has frozen around 24,000 bank accounts suspected of being involved in scam activities and recovered about $160 million in scam proceeds since it was set up by the police in 2019.

The amount recovered included part of $17 million lost since 2020 to about 1,300 cases of phishing scams involving spoofed SMSes that impersonated banks here, added Mr Tan.
He emphasised that recovery of money lost to scams is difficult, adding that where such sums have been recovered by the police, it involved the help of financial institutions.
Mr Tan noted that the police will be forming an Anti-Scam Command this year to consolidate expertise in scams across all police units, thereby improving coordination of anti-scam enforcement and investigations.

The police uses technology to automate manual work processes in its fight against scams, including the generation of electronic production orders to banks for the freezing of bank accounts associated with scams.
"This allows police resources to focus on critical investigations and enforcement work," Mr Tan said.
The police is also using other technology, such as the ScamShield app, to crowdsource information on scam calls and SMSes.
Mr Tan said ScamShield - developed by the National Crime Prevention Council in collaboration with Open Government Products, a division of the Government Technology Agency, and the police - has been downloaded about 257,000 times to date.

About 3.7 million SMSes and calls have been identified as potential scams by the in-app algorithm and by user reports through the app, while about 15,500 phone numbers have been blocked.
"ScamShield picked up and filtered about 2,000 scam messages used in the OCBC phishing scams," said Mr Tan. "Unfortunately, a lot more scam messages managed to reach the SMS inboxes of ScamShield users, mainly because they appeared in the same thread as legitimate messages."
He said this gap will be plugged to counter spoofed SMSes.
While ScamShield is currently only available for iOS devices, Mr Tan said an Android version is planned to be released in the next few months.
The IMCS will step up public education efforts on scams. For example, it has started working with the Agency for Integrated Care, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Manpower and MoneySense to educate seniors, students, migrant workers and professionals on scams.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singapore's system is failing because the citizens have lost trust in the Police.

Singapore's system will fail if trust is eroded and lost: PM Lee at COP report debate​

PM Lee Hsien Loong speaking in Parliament during the debate on the Committee of Privileges report on Feb 15, 2022. PHOTO: GOV.SG

Lim Yan Liang
Assistant Political Editor


FEB 16, 2022

SINGAPORE - For Singapore's system to work, people must be able to respect the institution of Parliament and trust its members, processes and proceedings, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Feb 15).
Without this critical trust in the apex institution of Singapore's democracy, the system cannot work, he said in his speech during the debate on two motions related to the report by Parliament's Committee of Privileges on untruths spoken in the House by former Workers' Party (WP) MP Raeesah Khan.
That is why the right norms of behaviour among MPs have to be guarded carefully, foremost being to tell the truth always and to do right by Singapore, even when - and especially if - it is hard or awkward, he said.
"If something goes wrong, or something wrong has been done, own up and take responsibility - do not hide, dodge, or spin further lies, to obfuscate and cover up the original fib," PM Lee said as he called on all MPs to vote with their conscience on the two motions.
The first motion calls on the House to agree with the committee's finding that Ms Khan was guilty of abusing parliamentary privilege by lying in August and October last year, and for her to be fined $35,000.
The second motion calls on Parliament to agree to refer Workers' Party (WP) chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh as well as WP vice-chair Faisal Manap to the Public Prosecutor.
Calling integrity the linchpin of democracy, PM Lee said that with Singapore heading towards a more contested political landscape, the competence and honesty of the Opposition is no longer an inconsequential matter. Every election henceforth will be about who can win the mandate to run the country, he added.

"The question of 'What are the right values and how should we uphold them?' becomes of fundamental importance for both the Opposition and the governing party," he said.
MPs must decide what Parliament will do about the untruths repeated in the House, as well as about the senior leaders of the WP being found by the committee to have lied under oath in their testimonies.
"Can we pretend nothing happened? Or if that is too much to stomach, given the strong evidence laid out by the (committee), perhaps we lower our standards just a little, note that untruths were told, but argue that it was after all not so serious a lie, and no harm was done?" PM Lee asked.

"If we do either of these things, we too would become complicit in dishonouring and demeaning Parliament."


PM Lee said he was glad that the committee had come to the conclusion that Mr Singh and Mr Faisal should be referred to the Public Prosecutor for having appeared to have committed a criminal offence.
"It could have recommended that Parliament administer a token slap on the wrist, but that would show that we were taking a very serious matter rather lightly," he said.
"Worse, by lowering our norms, we would be telling Singaporeans that it is really not so bad for elected leaders to lie."

While Singapore is a high-trust society today, nothing guarantees that it will always remain one, stressed PM Lee.
This is why the country has to steadfastly maintain high standards and ensure its leaders embody the right values, he added.
"Call out wrongs when wrongs arise, mete out punishment where punishment is due, preserve the sanctity of our institutions," he told MPs.
"Never take public trust for granted and never allow lies, half-truths and falsehoods to become the accepted norm in politics."

So long as the People's Action Party is the Government, Mr Lee said, it will not shy away from doing what is necessary to uphold the right norms in Parliament and to imbue Singaporeans and their leaders with the values critical to sustain trust in the system that is critical to Singapore's success.
"With our lives and future at stake, everyone participating in the system must be held to the same standards. There can be no excuses, no double standards, and no pardoning of inexcusable behaviour, just because the offending party portrays itself as the underdog," he said.
PM Lee noted that the probe into Ms Khan’s lies had uncovered a much larger problem.
“Online, people call this Raeesah-Gate, after Watergate,” he said, referencing the political scandal involving former United States president Richard Nixon.
“And just like in the original Watergate affair, while investigating Ms Khan’s transgressions, the COP unexpectedly stumbled upon a cover-up by WP leaders, even more serious than the original offence.”
While the committee did not expect this, it is now Parliament’s responsibility to take the necessary and appropriate course of action, he added.


That each MP must be honest is non-negotiable, said PM Lee, as being truthful is fundamental for there to be trust and for democracy to work well. Singaporeans’ trust in their leaders and respect for Parliament will be eroded if it condones lying among its own members, he said.
As the longest serving member in the House who has seen first-hand how the founding generation built it up, PM Lee said he felt a greater responsibility than most to safeguard this “sacred trust”.
“It should be a sacred trust too, for every MP,” he said. “We must all never fail to serve Singaporeans to the best of our ability, responsibly and honestly, and uphold this institution of Parliament, as the foundation of a robust and healthy democracy.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Police took 17 years to find a Singaporean who was working and living in Singapore all this time!

More than 5 years' jail for man who was absent from NS duty for over 17 years​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


MAR 22, 2022

SINGAPORE - A man who was absent from national service (NS) duties for more than 17 years was on Tuesday (March 22) sentenced to five years and eight months' jail.
Fitness instructor Mohammad Zaidie Ahmad, now 41, had pleaded guilty to two charges under the Civil Defence Act.
From March 13, 2004, he was posted to the HQ Basic Rescue Training Centre at Jalan Bahar Camp.
He reported for duty then, but went missing from July 5 that year. Police arrested him about five months later.
He was then ordered to resume duty in December the same year.
But Zaidie produced a medical certificate for the period between Dec 3 and 20, 2004.
The court heard that he again failed to report for duty on Dec 21 that year and police finally caught him on Sept 7 last year.

Court documents did not say why it took the authorities so long to arrest him.
Defence lawyer S. S. Dhillon told the court that his client had been financially supporting his son and two step siblings.
The lawyer also said that Zaidie had decided to abscond from NS duties so that the trio could be taken care of.
Before handing down the sentence on Tuesday, District Judge Marvin Bay noted that Zaidie had indicated that he was motivated by a need to earn more money.
But the judge stressed that "current world events make it all the clearer that the needs of national defence should be paramount".
Judge Bay added: "All Singaporeans must understand that their national service duties should always be placed front and centre at a time when they are physically best suited to serve."
Zaidie's bail has been set at $20,000 and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on May 5 to begin serving his sentence.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

And this has been happening for 20 years. And will continue.

Forum: Punters resume placing illegal bets after police leave​

Apr 12, 2022

I have been living in Geylang East for the past 20 years and have witnessed the scenario described in the article, "Big groups gather at HDB void decks, coffee shops for illegal betting on horse races" (April 5), many times at hawker centres in the area.
These gatherings take place every weekend.
These people gamble openly as if they are entitled to do so. Even Covid-19 restrictions did little to stop them.
The police have shown up at the hawker centres to deter illegal betting, but the punters resume placing bets immediately after police leave the scene.
More substantive measures have to be put in place if the presence of police is not enough to dissuade illegal betting.

Wong Chui Har

 

[Loofydralb]

Forum: Legal route expensive even if successful​

Jan 18, 2022

My husband and I found that the used car he bought had had its odometer tampered with.
When we reached out for help, the Land Transport Authority said it was not a road-related matter, and the Traffic Police did not respond.
We won a verdict of negligent fraud against the car dealer for tampering with the odometer, yet found ourselves unable to receive any form of compensation without first footing a legal bill that would cost more than the compensatory value of the car. Four years on, we eventually scrapped the car.
Civilians cannot do the job of reining in the cheats that linger in our midst via exorbitant legal means. I urge the Traffic Police to take a firm stand against motor-related fraudulent actions of all kinds.

Eva Wong

Who did this idiot Eva Wong and husband voted for?

 

[Filloz]

If a Singaporean quarrels with a foreigner, they will defend the interests of the foreigner and their assets.

 

[shittypore]

I trust our por-lees 100% in their incompetence.

It does not bother em, cos 61% hve faith and trust in CAQ.

 

[bobby]

61% trust PAP...so 61% also trust SPF.

 

[ftan42]

they must outnumber by abt 5:1 then feel secure