Overall scam cases, losses in Singapore fall in first half of 2026

Singapore saw a decrease in the number of scam cases and financial losses in the first half of 2026, according to police figures released on Wednesday. A total of 16,821 scam cases were reported from January to June this year, marking a 14.4% decrease compared to 19,644 cases during the same period last year. The overall losses due to scams also fell by 17.9% to about S$410.6 million (US$320 million) for the first half of 2026.

Cryptocurrency scams accounted for 16% of all scam losses, totaling S$65.5 million, which was a 43% decline from the previous year. However, despite the improvement, scams remained the dominant crime type in Singapore, comprising 91.5% of the 18,391 scam and cybercrime cases in the first half of the year. E-commerce scams were the most common type, with cases rising 19.3% to 3,865 cases and losses increasing 18.9% to S$8.3 million.

The top item involved in such scams was Pokemon trading cards, with cases rising 116.8% to 605 and losses surging 172.4% to S$1.2 million. Police attributed the increase to a rise in pre-order scams, where victims paid deposits or full prices for Pokemon cards or other collectables on platforms like Carousell months before promised delivery dates.

Investment scams caused the greatest financial damage, with victims losing S$169.8 million across 2,256 cases. There was a 16.2% decrease in the number of investment scams, but losses declined by only 5.1%. The police warned of new trends, such as scammers impersonating entities like National University of Singapore and online brokerage Moomoo, as well as government officials.

Victims were lured into WhatsApp chat groups and pressured to transfer funds to scam-controlled accounts. Business email compromise scams also saw a sharp increase, with losses jumping 193.1% to S$57.3 million and cases rising 67.9% to 262. Social media impersonation scams saw a 47.9% increase to 587 cases, with losses rising 71.3% to S$3.9 million, driven by a single case involving S$2.1 million in cryptocurrency losses.