The total number of scams reported in Singapore soared by more than 50 percent last year, with the losses from the top 10 types of scams amounting to more than $370 million, almost tripling the losses in 2020. Scams now account for more than half of overall crimes, according to the Annual Crime Brief released on Feb. 16. Job scams jumped to the top reported type. Growing more than 30-fold, the number of job scams increased from 132 cases in 2020 to 4,554 cases in 2021. Meanwhile, the biggest losses were from investment scams, totaling a whopping $140 million, with the largest amount cheated in a single case $4.7 million. Growing Influence of Social Media Sites Social media platforms are becoming hotbeds for scams. Victims of job scams were often approached by fraudsters through advertisements on social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Dating apps such as Tantan and …
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