SINGAPORE, Nov 4 — Scammers in Singapore will face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, with the punishment rising to 24 strokes depending on the severity of the offence, under new laws passed in Parliament today.

According to Singapore's The Straits Times, The Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill introduces harsher penalties for members of scam syndicates, recruiters, and accomplices such as money mules who provide bank accounts, SIM cards or Singpass credentials.

Money mules could also receive up to 12 strokes of the cane at the court’s discretion.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann reportedly said during the Bill’s second reading that scams now make up 60 per cent of all reported crimes in Singapore.

Between 2020 and the first half of 2025, about 190,000 scam cases were reported, with total losses amounting to S$3.7 billion (RM11.9 billion).

From July to September this year alone, losses reached S$187.1 million (about RM601 million), bringing the total since 2020 to at least S$3.88 billion (about RM12.5 billion), according to police figures cited by The Straits Times.

Sim said the numbers were “staggering”, noting that the total losses exceeded the cost of building a major hospital.

The proposal to cane scammers was first made in March by Jurong GRC Member of Parliament Dr Tan Wu Meng, after one of his constituents lost her life savings to a scam.

She said the Home Affairs Ministry had reviewed and accepted the suggestion, concluding that stronger deterrence was necessary.

The new law also removes caning for eight minor offences, such as blocking train carriages, which the government said no longer warrant such punishment.

Separately, penalties have been increased for those circulating obscene material to 10 or more people, with offenders now facing up to two years in jail — or four years if the material involves minors.

New provisions also make it an offence to produce or share AI-generated sexual images, including synthetic depictions of children, while the age threshold for obscene materials involving minors has been raised from 16 to 18 years.

The updated legislation further expands the definition of sexual grooming to cover cases where offenders or victims travel overseas to engage in illicit acts, with offenders facing up to seven years in prison if the victim is under 14.