Cheating in Singapore
In 2021, 23,932 cases were reported and S$504.4 million cheated due to top 10 scams and 90% of scams in Singapore originate from overseas according to the Annual Crime Brief 2021 Infographic published on 16 February 2022 by the Singapore Police Force.
According to section 415 of the Penal Code, cheating occurs when a person:
- Fraudulently or dishonestly deceives the victim to either hand over property or money to any person, or consent that another person retains his property or money; or
- Intentionally induces a deceived victim into either doing anything that he would not do if he had not been deceived, or omitting to do something that he would have done if he had not been deceived. The acts or omissions must also cause, or must be likely to cause, damage or harm to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
The penalty for cheating under section 415 of the Penal Code is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 3 years.
Aggravated cheating in Singapore
The offence of aggravated cheating on the other hand will fall under the purview of section 420 of the Penal Code
The penalty for such aggravated cheating under section 420 of the Penal Code is a fine and imprisonment for up to 10 years.
What to do if I am being scammed / cheated?
You might want to:
- Make a police report
This can be made at a police station, calling “999” or online through Singapore Police Force website
- Criminal courts
If there are strong incriminating evidence, the police may bring the accused to the court to be charged. The court may order the offender to make compensation to you.
- Civil courts
Alongside the damages that you may receive from the criminal court proceedings as stated above, you might also want to consider commencing civil proceedings against the offender.
For more information, please contact our Ray Louis, criminal lawyer in Singapore at 90908288.