Singapore is weighing the possibility of introducing caning as a punishment for scam-related offences in response to a dramatic rise in financial fraud. With residents losing an average of $4,031 each to scams in 2023, the city-state topped the global rankings for scam losses per capita, according to the Financial Times.
This surge has been attributed to Singapore’s widespread adoption of digital services, its high levels of wealth, and citizens’ trust in authority—traits that have ironically made it a prime target for scammers.
In parliament, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling confirmed that the government is open to the idea, saying: “We will consider Dr Tan’s suggestion for caning to be prescribed for certain scam-related offences, recognising the serious harm they can cause.”
The proposal has received vocal support from key financial figures. Loretta Yuen, chair of the fraud committee at the Association of Banks in Singapore, endorsed the idea, telling the FT: “We believe in caning as a strong deterrent. It’s a deterrent, but there is also a sense of revenge to it.”
If implemented, the measure would mark one of the most severe punishments for white-collar crime globally, reflecting the government’s zero-tolerance stance on scams and a bold attempt to reverse the nation’s rising fraud trajectory.