Within minutes: How quickly a scam site can be taken down under newly formed Cyber Command
In the first half of 2026, the police disrupted more than 52,200 malicious websites.
Singapore's newly formed Cyber Command enables the rapid shutdown of scam websites, phone numbers and social media pages, according to Sergeant Javier Lau. Previously, the process could take several hours as the team had to coordinate across multiple departments. In a matter of minutes, Lau and his 22-year-old colleagues assess whether a site is malicious and document their findings to disrupt the website's operations.
Scam losses in Singapore reached $4 billion since 2019, with the police disrupting over 47,000 scam-related mobile lines, 37,500 WhatsApp lines, 31,600 online monikers and 52,200 malicious websites in the first half of 2026. Scammers often impersonate reputable outlets like The Straits Times to promote investment schemes and cryptocurrency sites.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Nicole Morgan emphasized the importance of timely decision-making, citing a July operation that prevented losses of $2.7 million in the US and $388,000 in Singapore by targeting transnational cryptocurrency scams. A new bill passed in September made it illegal to provide personal details to criminals on platforms like Carousell, TikTok, Telegram, and Meta.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
