Committee of Supply 2025 debate, Day 3: Sun Xueling on combating scams

Are the penalties for scam-related offences still too soft and should caning be legislated for egregious offences? Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling responded to these questions from MPs, saying she agrees that Singapore needs stiff and deterrent sentences against those who facilitate scams. She pointed out that the Sentencing Advisory Panel has proposed significant imprisonment terms. In the cases that have been prosecuted since these guidelines were published, the Courts have generally imposed jail terms. The government will consider the suggestion for caning in certain scam offences, recognising the serious harm they cause, she said. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday (Mar 4), Ms Sun stressed that the government will do what it can to deter and disrupt scam activity. She said there is one critical area that Singapore can do better in - the online space, as 60 per cent of scams occur through messaging apps and social media platforms. The Ministry of Home Affairs is monitoring the situation closely and will explore further measures to address the scam situation on Telegram, as well as step up efforts to develop AI solutions to deal with scams that can be pushed out at speed and scale.