Quicker cross-border cooperation needed to disrupt scams and crimes: S’pore, international police
Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 16 Oct 2026
Author: Fatimah Mujibah
An estimated US$442 billion (S$567 billion) has been lost to scams across 42 countries, according to Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s global scams’ report.
The German authorities were monitoring a ransomware group in 2024 when they realised that the perpetrators were about to encrypt the systems of a company in Singapore.
Instead of relaying the information through official channels, which would have taken much longer, the officers sent a message on WhatsApp to their contacts in the Singapore Police Force.
Within 15 minutes of receiving the text, a group of Singaporean officers contacted the Bavarian officers to discuss the next step and then went to the company’s premises to disrupt the encryption and prevent damage to its servers.
Four Russian nationals were later arrested in Thailand over their involvement in the incident. They were suspected of releasing a ransomware variant to extort high-value payments from victims across Europe and other countries.
Twenty-seven servers linked to the criminal network were also taken down.
Countries including Singapore, Thailand and the UK took part in the investigation.
The incident underscored the importance of international cooperation in disrupting scam syndicates and tackling cross-border crime, which was the theme of a panel discussion on Oct 15 at Singapore International Cyber Week 2026.
“Information and intel sharing sounds highly sophisticated but in many instances, it’s very easy,” said Thomas Goger, deputy director of Germany’s Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime, adding that authorities should be willing to move more quickly.
He was one of the panellists at the session, Disrupting Scam Ecosystems: Multilateral Cooperation Against Cyber-Enabled Organised Crime.
The session also featured Manon Le Blanc, deputy head of the European External Action Service’s hybrid threats and cyber division; Chee Ching Yuin, assistant director from the investigations division at Singapore Police Force; Steve Rodhouse, director-general (threats) at the UK National Crime Agency; Pruchya Gummalaspituk, head of foreign affairs at the Central Investigation Bureau in the Royal Thai Police; Chan Hung, head of cybercrime operations at Interpol; and Lea Wedekind, a policy and development specialist at Europol.
Interpol, headquartered in France, helps police forces worldwide cooperate and fight crime. Europol, based in The Hague, supports EU law enforcement agencies in tackling serious crime, cybercrime and terrorism, but has no direct arrest powers.
Rodhouse agreed that it is effective when various agencies come together to tackle the global scam scourge, adding that speed and agility play a key role.
He cited a recent example when the UK National Crime Agency, Meta and the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, 10 nations, and 15 tech firms gathered at the London Stadium to take down scam compounds in West Africa.
Those involved in the operation shared information and access with one another, with Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities on standby to nab the scammers.
Rodhouse said: “The intelligence that was shared and reacted upon was incredibly powerful. We had live examples of people confirming that money had (been) moved and locations were active. The resources on the ground (there) then went in and raided compounds (and) seized phones, which are a treasure trove of intelligence.”
As a result, 3.7 million accounts and entities created by scammers were taken down.
An estimated US$442 billion (S$567 billion) has been lost to scams across 42 countries, according to Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s global scams’ report.
In Singapore, more than $4 billion has been lost to scams since 2019.
In the first six months of 2026, victims lost $410.6 million, down from $500.2 million during the same period in 2025. In total, $913.1 million were lost to scammers in 2025.
On Oct 6, Senior Minister K. Shanmugam signalled that the Government will introduce tougher laws for young scam mules, saying it is “not the time to go soft”, following a High Court ruling that allowed appeals seeking rehabilitation for young offenders.
Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, argued that lenient sentences could embolden scam syndicates to recruit more youth to facilitate their crimes.
Chee on Oct 15 also reiterated the importance of cooperation between the Republic and other law enforcement agencies and industry partners.
She said: “The exchanging of information is very important. Each of us has got a small piece of the puzzle. (In Singapore), we amass all the reports and intelligence that we have, and we try to work with the industry partners and come up with solutions that can help Singaporeans.
“If we can, this can be scaled to other jurisdictions, and this would then be able to benefit everyone in terms of prevention.”
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
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