This week, the police released figures revealing that almost S$1.3 billion was lost to scams in the past two years. More than half of the victims were young adults.
Indeed, contrary to popular belief, it was not mostly the elderly who fell prey to scams.
More than 53% of scam victims were between 20 and 39 years old.
In fact, those aged 60% and above accounted for only 8.8% of scam victims.
The vice-chairman of the National Crime Prevention Council Tan Puay Kern said: “Look at the types of people who get scammed. We all think it is the old, the young and the naive. But lawyers, doctors and professors have fallen prey to scams. No one is immune to scams. The thought that ‘it will not happen to me’ – that is the greatest challenge.”
Here’s how to be a victim:
1. Be gullible.
2. Kiss discernment goodbye.
3. Be greedy, always be on the lookout for rewards requiring very little effort.
4. Be stupid.
5. Trust strangers.
6. Trust good friends and relatives who come to you with “great” money making/saving deals.
7. Believe there are people out there who want you to get rich fast.
8. Don’t fact-check.
9. Be clueless.
10. Don’t take preventive measures like not installing Singapore Police’s ScamShield or other tools in your phone.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.