The city-state of Singapore has taken a bold step in its ongoing campaign against fraud, passing the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill on 4 November 2025, according to The Star.
This law introduces corporal punishment in the form of caning for those convicted of running or facilitating scam operations—considered a major shift in its criminal justice strategy.
Under the new rules, individuals who head or recruit for scam syndicates may receive six to twenty-four strokes of the cane.
Those who play facilitating roles—such as providing bank accounts, SIM cards, or identity credentials—can face up to twelve strokes at the court’s discretion.
Why the Law Was Introduced
Singapore has identified scams as the predominant form of crime in recent years. According to remarks made during the parliamentary debate, scam cases now account for approximately 60 % of all reported crimes in the country.
As reported by The Business Times, between 2020 and the first half of 2025, authorities recorded about 190,000 scam-related cases, with total estimated losses of roughly S$3.7 billion.
The scale of these losses, and the persistent nature of fraud syndicates operating in or via Singapore, prompted the government to conclude that enhanced deterrence was necessary.
How the Law Works
Under this amendment, the key categories of persons caught by the new penalties are: scam masterminds and syndicate recruiters facing mandatory caning from six strokes upward.
Meanwhile, facilitators such as “money mules” who provide bank accounts, SIM cards or identity credentials, facing up to twelve strokes at the discretion of the court.
The law makes clear that genuine victims who were deceived into providing their account details or credentials are not to be penalized.
This distinguishes between willing accomplices and unwitting participants. Meanwhile, the law retains other punishments (fines, jail terms) but adds corporal punishment as an added deterrent for the most serious fraud offences.
The Expected Effects
The government expects this law to raise the perceived cost for those considering involvement in scam operations.
By applying caning—a punishment historically associated with serious crimes in Singapore such as rape or drug trafficking—the message is that large-scale, organized scams are being treated with equivalent gravity.
Some legal experts highlighted that beyond the physical penalty, the symbolic impact may shift how society views fraud: from a purely financial crime to one of moral betrayal and public harm.
On the practical side, authorities hope this will disrupt the supply side of scam networks—the recruiters and facilitators—thus limiting the scale of operations rather than merely chasing individual offenders.
Broader Context in Combating Scam
This law is part of a wider strategy by Singapore to curb fraud. Earlier in 2025, authorities introduced measures empowering banks and other institutions to freeze suspicious transactions quickly, as part of an effort to protect victims and choke off illicit finances.
The caning amendment complements these controls by focusing on punishment rather than just prevention.
In parliament, the minister emphasized that while enforcement tools and detection measures remain important, “stronger deterrence” is now needed in light of the persistent rise in scam cases.
Conclusion
In summary, Singapore’s new law introducing caning for scammers marks a major policy escalation in its fight against fraud.
By coupling physical punishment with existing financial and legal controls, the government is signaling that it sees large-scale scam operations as not just commercial wrongdoing but a serious societal threat.
Whether the threat of caning will effectively deter determined international syndicates remains to be seen, but domestically it represents a clear shift in how the city-state addresses organized fraud.
