In a radical move to combat a surge in digital fraud, Singapore has passed legislation that will see online scammers face corporal punishment, a penalty typically reserved for the most severe crimes such as rape and drug trafficking.
Unprecedented Penalties for Digital Fraud
On Tuesday, the country's parliament approved a new law that introduces caning as a mandatory penalty for online scamming. Male offenders under the age of 50 convicted of scams conducted mainly through remote communication will now receive a minimum of six strokes of the cane. In the most extreme cases, courts can sentence convicted fraudsters to up to 24 strokes.
This form of punishment, where the offender is tied down and caned on the backside, is intended to act as a powerful deterrent. The decision comes as the number of reported scam cases has skyrocketed over the past five years.
A Growing National Crisis
According to Sim Ann, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, the scale of the problem is immense. She revealed that approximately 190,000 scam cases were reported between 2020 and 2025. This figure means that scams now account for a staggering 60% of all crimes committed in Singapore.
Ms Ann stated unequivocally: ‘We will introduce mandatory caning for scammers. Offenders who commit scams defined as cheating mainly by means of remote communication will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane.’
Cracking Down on Scam Syndicates
The new law takes an especially firm stance against organised criminal groups. The government asserts that scam syndicates, which mobilise significant resources to profit from fraud, bear the highest level of culpability.
‘Members of and recruiters for scam syndicates will be subject to mandatory caning of at least six strokes if they knew that the organised criminal group was a scam syndicate,’ Ms Ann added.
The legislation also introduces discretionary caning for individuals who facilitate scams, such as those providing bank accounts or phone lines used in the crimes. However, the government has clarified that ‘genuine victims who are found to have been deceived into providing a scam enabler would not be affected’ by the new punitive measures.
This landmark law represents one of the world's most severe responses to the global epidemic of online fraud, signalling Singapore's zero-tolerance approach to protecting its citizens from digital crime.
