Written Answer to Unanswered Oral Question

Amount Recovered from Scams in 1H2025

Speakers

Transcript

45 Ms Poh Li San asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs in view of the $456 million lost to scams and with almost 20,000 cases reported in the first half of 2025 (a) how much have been recovered for these cases; and (b) how many cases are successful in recovering part or all of the scammed amount.

Mr K Shanmugam: In the first half of 2025, the Police successfully recovered more than $56.7 million of scam losses. This refers to funds in bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets of scammers or mules that have been frozen by the Police.

During the same period, recovery efforts were successful in about 7,200 cases out of a total of 19,665 cases, or about 37% of cases. The proportion of funds recovered by the Police depends on the circumstances of each case. Asset recovery is challenging given the speed at which scam proceeds are laundered through a complex web of payment accounts and especially when they have been transferred overseas.