Reports of Deepfake-related Scams
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Desmond Choo’s inquiry regarding deepfake-related scam statistics and the specific measures implemented to educate the elderly population against such digital threats. Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam stated that while the police do not track these cases specifically, the reported number of incidents involving alleged deepfake techniques remains low. To protect seniors, the SG Cyber Safe Seniors Programme provides tutorials and multilingual handbooks through digital ambassadors to promote cyber hygiene and scam awareness. The Ministry also collaborates with grassroots organisations to provide residents with updated prevention tips and prompt alerts regarding emerging scam variants. These ongoing efforts ensure that the elderly are equipped to identify tell-tale signs of scams and adopt necessary protective steps.
Transcript
44 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many deepfake-related scams have been reported in 2023; (b) what kinds of media type are the scams conducted in, such as live video, voice, uploaded video, etc; and (c) what measures will the Ministry undertake that is specific to the elderly population to educate them against deepfake-related scams.
Mr K Shanmugam: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has not been tracking the number of such cases. While we have received some reports where the complainants had alleged that deepfake techniques were used by the scammers, the number is not high.
The SPF works closely with the People's Association, the Agency for Integrated Care and grassroots organisations to alert residents, including the elderly, about the latest scam trends, tell-tale signs of scams and steps the residents can take to protect themselves.
In June 2021, the SG Cyber Safe Seniors Programme was launched to raise awareness of cybersecurity and encourage adoption of good cyber hygiene practices among the elderly. The programme reaches out to the elderly through a mix of physical and online platforms, including tutorial sessions that teach the elderly to learn how to use mobile applications safely. With online scams being a growing threat, the curriculum has been updated to include more tips for the elderly to safeguard themselves against scams. Under the programme, digital ambassadors from the SG Digital Office are trained to engage the elderly on cyber hygiene practices. A handbook in the four official languages has also been produced for digital ambassadors to hand out to the elderly.
In addition, whenever there is an emerging scam variant, such as deepfake-related scams, the SPF works with relevant agencies to promptly alert the elderly.