Singapore on Tuesday said it would consider caning scammers as the city-state doubles down on swindling syndicates following record high scam losses.

Police figures show that at least Sg$1.1 billion ($817 million) was lost through scams in 2024 -- 70 percent more than the previous year.

"We will consider...caning to be prescribed for certain scam-related offences, recognising the serious harm they can cause," said Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling.

Although several protective measures are already in place in the banking industry, scammers have upgraded their playbook.

"They have started asking victims to convert their money to cryptocurrencies prior to performing the transfers, thereby evading our banking safeguards," she said, adding that crypto-related cases accounted for nearly 25 percent of all scam losses.

She advised Singaporeans "to steer clear of cryptocurrencies."

Sun said the number of reported scams occurring via messaging platform Telegram, which provides anonymity to users, almost doubled in 2024.

She urged Telegram to adopt stronger verification measures, adding that the government was exploring "legislative levers to ensure compliance."

In recent years, Singaporean authorities have intensified public education efforts against scamming, including setting up a national scam hotline.

In 2020, the government introduced the "ScamShield" app which allows users to check suspicious calls, websites and messages.

Last year, then-premier Lee Hsien Loong told local media he had been scammed as an item he ordered online never arrived, highlighting how the issue affected all sectors of society.

Cyberscam centres -- which lure foreigners in to work in scam hothouses swindling people with online romance and crypto investment cons -- have proliferated across Southeast Asia in recent years.

The United Nations estimates that up to 120,000 people, many of them Chinese, could be working in Myanmar's many scam compounds.

Last month, hundreds of Chinese nationals were sent home from Myanmar to their country via Thailand and there are plans to repatriate thousands more stranded in camps at the Thai-Myanmar border, part of a crackdown on transnational crime.

AFP

Police figures show that scam losses in 2024 shot up 70 percent from the previous year (Roslan RAHMAN) (Roslan RAHMAN/AFP/AFP)

Singapore considers caning as scam cases surge