SINGAPORE — While Singapore is still one of the safest cities in the world, scam cases here continue to spike, the police said in its annual crime briefing on Wednesday (Feb 5).

Overall crime would have fallen by 4.6 per cent last year, but instead rose by 6.3 per cent owing to a 53.5 per cent jump in reported scams.

Statistics released by the police showed that overall crime went up to 35,209 cases in the past year, compared with 33,126 in 2018.

The overall crime rate also rose, with 617 cases per 100,000 of the population last year, compared with 587 cases per 100,000 of the population in 2018.

However, four out of the six classes of crime recorded declines in 2019.

TODAY looks at the latest numbers.

1. JUMP IN SCAM CASES

Scams made up 27 per cent of overall crime last year, up from 19 per cent in 2018.

The total number of scam cases increased to 9,502 last year, from 6,189 in 2018.

Data provided by the Singapore Police Force on scam cases reported in 2019. Infographic: Samuel Woo/TODAY

E-commerce scams were the most common type of scams with 2,809 cases last year, up 30 per cent compared with 2018.

Online marketplace Carousell accounted for 44 per cent of e-commerce scams. However, the platform saw a drop in e-commerce cases to 1,239 cases last year compared with 1,519 in 2018. The police said that this was because it introduced payment protection for users.

In the meantime, some scammers have moved on to other platforms such as Facebook and Shopee, the police said.

Loan scams are the second-most common scam, leaping by 83.2 per cent to 1,772 cases last year.

And credit-for-sex scams nearly doubled to 1,065 cases last year, from 533 in 2018.

The total amount cheated in the top 10 types of scam increased by 16 per cent to S$168.1 million last year, compared with S$144.9 million in 2018.

The police warned that more Singaporeans are falling prey to online scams across various platforms. Infographic: Samuel Woo/TODAY

Mr David Chee, director of the Singapore Police Force's commercial affairs department, said that cyber scams are a global phenomenon, and will continue to be a major concern for Singapore in the future.

“As long as we have human greed, (scams) will be a challenge,” he told reporters on Wednesday, and added that members of the public should keep themselves aware of the latest scam tactics, as well as watch out for friends and family members.

Scammers usually conduct their schemes over the phone or via online messaging channels such as WhatsApp, and psychologically manipulate victims to extort money from them.

2. IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUR CRIME CLASSES

In 2019, crimes against persons declined by 12.2 per cent to 4,419 cases, while housebreaking and related crimes dropped 14.9 per cent to 279 cases.

Violent or serious property crimes tumbled 26.2 per cent to 155 cases, and theft and related crimes fell by 8 per cent to 11,215 cases.

3. SOME CRIMES AT 35-YEAR-LOW

Motor vehicle and related thefts, robbery and snatch theft cases were at a 35-year low in 2019.

In particular, motor vehicle and related thefts fell 24.1 per cent to 665 cases last year, while robbery cases dropped 22.2 per cent to 56 cases.

Snatch theft fell 29.2 per cent to 34 cases as well.

4. MORE CRIME-FREE DAYS

Last year saw 16 more days free from three confrontational crimes, namely snatch theft, robbery and housebreaking, compared with 2018.

This brings 2019’s total number of crime-free days for these offences to 179 .

5. OUTRAGE OF MODESTY CASES FELL BUT REMAIN A CONCERN

The police said that the number of outrage of modesty cases — such as “upskirting” where offenders use mobile phones to film up their victims' skirts — had fallen 5.6 per cent to 1,632 cases last year.

However, the prevalence of this crime remained a “key concern” given the continuing high number of reported cases, the police added.

Measures such as increased police patrols on public transport had resulted in a 12.1 per cent fall in outrage of modesty cases on public transport to 239 cases last year, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation and Intelligence) Florence Chua said that while Singapore’s streets and homes have become safer, it is experiencing a shift toward more non-confrontational crimes, where culprits make use of technology.

She said that families and friends staying vigilant plays a vital role in fighting these crimes, and that the police will continue to educate the public on how to combat scams.

“Everyone must do their part to be vigilant to prevent falling victim to scams,” she said.