The legal framework
A national scam portal combines a helpline, an app that blocks known scam numbers, and an online reporting route. A shared responsibility framework allocates losses between banks and telecommunications operators where they failed defined anti-scam duties. A police report can be filed online. Banks operate a kill switch allowing an account to be frozen instantly by the customer.
Singapore runs a single national scam portal and a 24-hour helpline, and has gone further than most by setting out a framework that splits losses between banks and telecommunications operators where each has failed in defined duties — a shared responsibility model rather than a blanket reimbursement rule. Banks apply cooling-off periods and transfer limits, which stop a substantial share of losses.
Key points
| National portal | Scam checking, blocking and reporting in one place |
|---|---|
| Helpline | Available around the clock |
| Shared responsibility | Losses allocated to banks and telecoms that failed their duties |
| Kill switch | Customer-triggered instant account freeze at major banks |
| Police report | Can be filed online |
| Blocking app | Filters known scam numbers and messages |
| Cryptocurrency | Effectively unrecoverable |
In practice
- Trigger the bank kill switch first: it freezes the account instantly and stops further outflows.
- Use the national portal to check a number or a website before acting, not only after.
- Cite the shared responsibility framework when claiming: it creates duties that did not previously exist.
- File the police report online and keep the reference.
Cost and coverage
All reporting channels are free.
Where to go
- National scam portal and its 24-hour helpline.
- Your bank's kill switch and fraud line.
- Police online reporting.
- National crime prevention council resources.
Worth knowing
The kill switch is the fastest tool available in any country covered here, and most customers do not know their bank offers one. Find out how to trigger yours before you need it.
Frequently asked questions
Who bears the loss in Singapore?
Under the shared responsibility framework, a bank or a telecommunications operator that has failed in specified anti-scam duties may bear part of the loss; otherwise the customer does. It is narrower than the British rule and applies to defined phishing scenarios rather than to all authorised payments.
How do romance scams usually work?
A months-long build-up of affection, always with a reason not to meet or to video-call, followed by a first emergency — a medical bill, a customs charge, a blocked transfer — and then an escalating series of them. The newer variant adds an investment platform that shows a rising balance you can never withdraw. The tell is not the story; it is that money must always move away from you, and quickly.
Official sources and links
- ScamShield — check, block and report; helpline 1799
- Singapore Police Force — scams — online police report
- gov.sg — official government portal
- Singapore Statutes Online — legislation in force