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Banks have averted scam losses of S$57.6 million this year

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SINGAPORE: Since 2023 began, banks in Singapore have been able to prevent and recover scam losses of S$57.6 million, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said in a statement on Oct 24 (Tuesday). The statement highlighted that the country’s banks are set to do their part to protect their customers against these fraudulent schemes.

Additional anti-malware capabilities that were also introduced protected customers further from potential losses of at least S$18.6 million, which ABS says are being progressively rolled out across the banks. The association and its member banks have been working closely with the government and law enforcement authorities to fight against fraudulent activities resulting in financial losses for many Singaporeans.

ABS also said that new anti-scam measures and enhancements will continue to be introduced by banks to stay abreast with the tactics of scammers, as these have proven to evolve consistently to become more sophisticated than ever to victimize bank customers.

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However, it warned that some of the anti-scam measures may cause some inconvenience to customers but emphasized that they are necessary safeguards to protect customers against scammers and maintain confidence in digital banking services.

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“ABS has also been working with banks to raise awareness to new scam typologies and the steps that customers can take to protect themselves. For example, banks have been alerting customers to malware scams and cautioning their customers to install apps only from the official app stores,” the statement added.

Furthermore, ABS said banks will also maintain discretionary goodwill frameworks for scam victims. These frameworks will cushion these individuals against the full financial impact of the scams. This means that banks will seek to be accommodative in looking into the circumstances of each scam case in light of the sophistication of the scam as well as the financial situation of the customer.

Read related: Singaporeans Hit Hardest by Global Scams, Losing Over US$4,000 Per Victim

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“The fight against scams is never-ending and requires a combination of efforts from the authorities, banks and the public at large. While banks are committed to do their part to protect customers against scams and will exercise empathy towards customers who had fallen for scams, community vigilance remains critical in the fight against scams. We need to embed good cyber hygiene and safe practices in our daily lives, such as not clicking on unknown links and maintaining healthy scepticism against deals or promises that are too good to be true. Please remind family and friends to do the same,” said Mrs Ong-Ang Ai Boon, ABS Director, in the statement. /TISG

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Read also: Bank officers prevent elderly man from losing thousands in love scam

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