Singapore steps up fight against cybercrime, scams

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) Cyber Command will be dedicated to combating online crimes, including scams and other forms of cybercrime.

Singapore (VNA) – Singapore will launch a new police Cyber Command in July, bringing together existing cybercrime and anti-scam capabilities from across the Singapore Police Force (SPF), including those from the current Anti-Scam Command.

The unit will be dedicated to combating online crimes, including scams and other forms of cybercrime.

Announcing this information on May 11, Singapore’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said the Cyber Command will be a front-line unit that will start with about 200 officers.

This will eventually be doubled to more than 400 officers, he added.

Goh was speaking at the opening of the Anti-Scam Conference 2026, held at the Police Cantonment Complex from May 11 to 13.

The conference sees representatives from more than 20 countries, including France and the United Arab Emirates, meeting and sharing best practices to disrupt cross-border criminal networks.

In his opening speech, Goh said the police will be taking the fight against scams and cybercriminals further upstream, and disrupting threats before they reach Singapore.

To do this, he said the Cyber Command will proactively take down criminal infrastructure, such as fake websites and malicious phone lines used in phishing scams.

At present, the police are already using artificial intelligence to identify suspected scam sites, enabling them to quickly block two-thirds of such sites.

Goh said such tech tools will be further developed, with the goal of identifying and shutting down scam sites and channels faster than perpetrators can set them up.

A recent report by Interpol found that AI-enabled fraud can generate profits 4.5 times higher than traditional methods, which authorities described as a serious concern for Singapore.

In 2025, Singapore recorded more than 37,300 reported scam cases, with losses reaching 913.1 million SGD (about 720 million USD). In the first quarter of 2026 alone, over 7,800 cases were reported, causing economic losses exceeding 144.3 million SGD. Beyond financial damage, authorities warned that scams are also seriously eroding public trust in Singaporean society./.

VNA

See more

Houses are damaged after the earthquake in General Santos city, Philippines on June 8. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Death toll from Philippines earthquake rises, tsunami reaches Indonesia, Japan

In the hard-hit port city of General Santos, disaster management officials confirmed seven deaths after several buildings collapsed and key infrastructure was damaged. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned residents to exercise caution before returning to damaged buildings due to the risk of aftershocks.

Several shops were damaged following the earthquake in General Santos City, the Philippines, on June 8, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

At least 12 killed, hundreds injured in Philippines earthquake

The port city of General Santos suffered the heaviest damage, with disaster management officials confirming seven fatalities and about 130 injuries after several small buildings collapsed and multiple structures, including a key bridge, sustained severe cracks. The remaining five deaths were recorded in South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and Balut Island.

Laos intensifies business environment reforms

The latest Provincial Facilitation for Investment and Trade Index report indicates that since 2018, the public sector has clearly defined timelines for document approval, reducing the time required to establish a business to just 17 days, including 10 days for the issuance of a business registration certificate, five days for seal engraving, and two days for social insurance registration.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attends the National TVET Day 2026 celebration at Dataran Putrajaya today. (Photo: Bernama)

Malaysia strengthens vocational training in technology and energy sectors

Malaysia is ramping up technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a cornerstone of its economic transformation and talent development strategy, preparing its workforce for emerging fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cryptocurrency technology and the global energy transition.

Indonesia eyes trade breakthrough with EAEU via FTA

Indonesia eyes trade breakthrough with EAEU via FTA

Indonesia seeks to develop relations with all countries and sees itself as a bridge between different regions of the world. Against a backdrop of growing geopolitical and global economic uncertainty, strengthening international cooperation and building reliable supply chains have become more important than ever.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (R) at Nation TV’s 26th anniversary event on June 4, 2026. (Photo: nationthailand.com)

Thailand prioritises OECD accession

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul the country’s bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, is central to the government’s economic agenda.

ASEAN aims to become global digital economy hub

ASEAN aims to become global digital economy hub

Studies indicate that the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) could help raise ASEAN’s digital economy value to 2 trillion USD by 2030 while transforming the region into a connected, comprehensive and sustainable digital economy hub on the global stage.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Seri Fadillah Yusof speaks at the Energy Transition Conference 2026 (ETCon26) in Kuala Lumpur on June 3. (Photo: VNA)

Malaysia accelerates energy transition

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Seri Fadillah Yusof noted that for both Malaysia and ASEAN, the transition is not only an environmental imperative but also an economic necessity and a strategic priority.

A pregnant woman receives a routine pregnancy check-up at a hospital. (Photo: VNA)

ILO report highlights gaps in maternity benefits across ASEAN

The report calls for extending maternity protection to all women, including workers in the informal economy; strengthening financing mechanisms to ensure sustainability and adequacy of benefits; and aligning maternity protection policies with broader social protection, health and care policies.