Debated in Parliament on 13 Feb 2015.
Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the additional measures that the Police are embarking on, including co-operation with other Government agencies, to prevent further escalation of crimes involving e-commerce; and (b) how many cheating cases involving e-commerce have been solved in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mr S Iswaran) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Mdm Speaker, there were 238 reported cases of cheating involving e-commerce in 2012, 510 cases in 2013, and 1,659 cases in 2014. The sharp increase reflects the growth of online shopping transactions and greater awareness and reporting of such crimes.
From 2012 to 2014, 132 arrests were made in connection with such cases. However, many perpetrators are based overseas, making it harder for the Police to track them down. Investigations also take more time given the transboundary nature of such crimes and the Police need to work closely with their international counterparts.
As more people are making purchases online, criminals will attempt to capitalise on this trend. Police will continue to educate consumers to beware of such scams when they do
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online shopping. For example, in November 2014, the National Crime Prevention Council and the Police launched a nationwide Anti-Scam Public Education Campaign to raise public awareness of common scams in Singapore. This includes a new website, advertisements and other materials that explain how scams are carried out.
The Police are also working closely with partners, such as the Media Development Authority, Monetary Authority of Singapore, major financial institutions and online shopping sites, to broaden efforts to educate consumers about online scams.
I thank the Second Minister for the comprehensive reply. The crime rate involving e-commerce has increased by more than 200% in 2014 – 225% to be exact – and it is a cause for concern. And the problem, as the Second Minister said, is compounded by the low solving rate of e-commerce crime.
I had, last year, in September, suggested that the Police consider setting up a dedicated cybercrime unit so that they can really look at the different aspects of cybercrime, get the relevant skillsets and also look at the transboundary kind of situation. But it did not appear to Senior Minister of State Masagos at that time to take this suggestion seriously. So, if the e-commerce crime rate has increased so rapidly, would MHA consider this suggestion again?
Madam, we share the Member's concern over the rising rate of such cybercrimes. The Police have been taking a series of measures. As I mentioned, one aspect of them pertains to the collaboration with other Government agencies as well as the transaction or service providers and also conducting broader education campaigns in order to raise awareness.
Police are also constantly upgrading their cyber capabilities and work closely with international partners and experts in order to track down persons who use the Internet to commit crimes. The nature of this crime is such that it is somewhat elusive at times, given the nature of the medium and the transboundary nature of the transactions. But having said that, there is increasing collaboration and the Police have got specific resources allocated for this purpose. And I would add that the Police are also working with Interpol's new Global Complex for Innovation, which is located in Singapore. One aspect of this Complex is a digital crime centre that supports digital forensic and develops new solutions to tackle cybercrime.
So, I want to assure the Member and, indeed, all Members of the House, that this is something that is taken seriously. The Police have allocated specific resources, maybe not a division, as suggested by the Member, but there have been allocated resources and specialties developed, and there is collaboration with international bodies as well as the
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Interpol centre in Singapore.
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