Singapore has now introduced mandatory caning as punishment for those convicted of scamming or being a money mule. (Source: Getty)
Singapore is sending a message to scammers that they will suffer brutal and painful consequences if they’re caught. The island nation this week ushered in a new law that introduced caning as a mandatory punishment that can be used in cases involving scammers and money mules.
Depending on the type of crime and its severity, criminals could face six to 24 strokes of the cane under the new Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. Sim Ann, Singapore’s senior minister of state for home affairs, said scams are the most prevalent form of crime in the country and make up 60 per cent of all reported crimes.
There have been 190,000 cases reported in the last five and a half years, totalling SGD$3.7 billion (AUD$4.35 billion) in losses.
“These are staggering numbers,” she said.
“Offenders who commit scams, defined as cheating mainly by means of remote communication, will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane.”
Those involved in scam syndicates, whether they’re members or recruiters, will also receive at least six strokes, and they were called out for having “the highest level of culpability” in this type of crime.
“These syndicates mobilise significant resources to conduct and profit from scams,” Sim said.
Money mules, who are people that provide bank accounts to scammers to help them move money around and make it harder for victims, banks, and police to retrieve funds, can face up to 12 lashes.
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Caning as a form of punishment is reserved for a range of offences, including those convicted of rape, drug trafficking and illegal moneylending.
According to the South China Morning Post, a rape conviction warrants at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Caning has been traditionally included as an addition to a prison sentence and can not exceed more than 24 strokes per trial and has to be done in one sitting.
The punishment is carried out by prison staff, who use a long and thick rattan cane on the inmate’s buttocks in an enclosed area in the prison.
The Transformative Justice Collective said prisoners are often not told when their caning will be until the day of the punishment.
“The caning officer is physically fit and strong, colloquially known as a ‘commando’. They keep time and count the strokes administered, so that the process does not go faster nor slower than intended,” the Collective said.
“Each ‘commando’ administers a maximum of six strokes, with more at the ready for those with more than six strokes.”
“Where the cane lands on the buttocks, the skin and flesh tear.”
Prisoners who have experienced caning told the Collective it takes about a month to recover from the punishment and they have to sleep on their chest to prevent pain.
Australia has been trying to reduce the amount of losses victims suffer through scams, but people are still falling for the increasingly sophisticated and rapidly improving methods that online scammers and criminals use.
In the first half of 2025, everyday Aussies lost a collective $173.8 million to scams, which is a 26 per cent increase from the same time last year, according to a federal government watchdog.
Scamwatch received 108,305 reports about scams in that time, which is a 24 per cent decrease to the same period last year.
In a more detailed report that encapsulated scams affecting everyday Aussies, businesses, and organisations, there were 494,732 scam reports in all of 2024, and 601,803 in 2023.
According to that analysis, there was roughly AUD$2 billion in losses last year and $2.7 billion in 2023.
It’s a similar story in the US, which recorded $12.5 billion lost to scams in 2024, which was $2.5 billion more than 2023 figures in the country.
America also had one of the highest average rate of losses per victim, at $3,520.
According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, global losses to scams last year reached $1.03 trillion, and only about 4 per cent of victims were able to recover their money.
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