In this image provided by the Myanmar military on Oct. 19, 2025, soldiers raid the KK Park online scam center in Myawaddy township, Karen State, Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21, (AP): Singapore’s government said Friday that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from Dec. 30, under changes to criminal law to deter surging fraud cases. The changes, passed by Parliament last month, strengthen penalties that already include imprisonment and fines. The Home Affairs Ministry said the enhanced punishment “ensures that our criminal laws remain effective, fair, and responsive to emerging challenges.” Under the changes, scammers, including recruiters and members of scam syndicates, face six to 24 strokes of the cane. Those who knowingly provide their bank account or other personal details to be used to commit or facilitate the laundering of scam proceeds could also face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, authorities said. The new laws also allow for discretionary caning for other forms of fraud. “Fighting scams is a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remains concerning,” it said.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann has told parliament that scams made up 60% of all reported crime in Singapore between 2020 and the first half of 2025. About 190,000 scam cases caused losses of nearly 3.7 billion Singapore dollars ($2.8 billion) during that period, she said.

According to the Singapore Government Technology Agency’s website, the top five scams in the city-state involve phishing, fraudulent jobs, e-commerce and online shopping, as well as get-rich investment scams and impersonations. Judicial caning, a form of corporal punishment involving a rattan cane on bare buttocks, is already applied in the city-state for male offenders under 50 for serious crimes like robbery and sexual offenses, alongside prison time. Caning was introduced during British colonial times and is also used in neighboring Malaysia and Brunei.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delivers his keynote speech during the International Conference on the Global Partnership against Online Scams in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP)

Meanwhile, Thailand on Thursday helped launch a global effort to fight the spread of online scams that include criminal enterprises based largely in Southeast Asia, estimated to bilk billions of dollars annually from victims around the world. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime hosted a conference in Bangkok on Wednesday and Thursday, culminating in the announcement of the new initiative called the Global Partnership Against Online Scams. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in his keynote speech Wednesday that online scams “reveal a deeper problem - a collective vulnerability that no country can address alone.” The partnership agreement signed by conference participants Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Peru, and the United Arab Emirates will include political commitment, law enforcement, victim protection and public awareness and cross-border collaboration, a statement said.

The conference received assistance from the private sector, including internet giants Meta and TikTok. Meta, the corporate owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, presented a threat report underlining the increased use of artificial intelligence by scam networks and protocols the company is using in its attempts to stop scams on its social media platforms. Social media application TikTok signed on to the conference’s closing statement, becoming one of the first private sector members of the partnership. The company on Thursday also said it had signed agreements with major investors to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture.

TikTok, which primarily focuses on short-form videos, is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms but has faced challenges from various governments, including the U.S. over its Chinese ownership, the European Union over transparency breaches, Canada regarding child protection protocols, and data sharing in Indonesia. Scam centers, which extort money from victims online through bogus investment schemes and fake love interests, have proliferated across Southeast Asia. Scam victims lost between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023, the UNODC estimates. The importance of private partnerships in anti-scam initiatives was stressed throughout the two-day conference in Thailand’s capital, which was attended by more than 300 participants from nearly 60 countries. Brian Hanley, Asia-Pacific director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, which TikTok joined this month, explained it will be harder to combat criminal networks without “all the major stakeholders at the table.”