S’pore police to issue restriction orders on scam victims only as a last resort

Officers must first exhaust all possible interventions before issuing such orders.

Restriction orders for scam victims will be issued by the police only as a last resort after all possible interventions have been exhausted, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said during the second reading of the Protection From Scams Bill.

Under the proposed bill, police and commercial affairs officers can issue restriction orders, directing banks to limit a victim’s access to at-risk financial accounts when there is “reasonable belief” that the person is involved in a scam.

These orders will restrict the individual’s banking transactions and credit facilities but will not apply to third parties assisting with monetary transfers.

“However, if the third party is also an unwitting victim of the scammer and is at risk of making transfers to the scammer, officers may consider issuing a separate restriction order for that individual,” Sun said.

Sun emphasised that if individuals continue to transfer funds to scammers after the restriction period ends, they must bear responsibility for their actions.

Meanwhile, officers may also issue restriction orders if they identify potential scam victims while investigating mule accounts or if bank staff alert the police about suspected scam victims.