Singapore Will Start Caning Scammers Up to 24 Strokes Starting December 30
Not a joke. Not clickbait. Singapore is about to start caning online scammers.
The city-state passed a law back in November thats taking effect December 30th and its exactly as brutal as it sounds. Convicted scammers face mandatory caning of 6 to 24 strokes on top of prison time and fines.
This is arguably the harshest anti-scam law anywhere in the world right now.
What the Law Actually Says
The Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2025 passed Parliament on November 4th. Fintech Singapore reports the breakdown:
– Scammers using remote communication (phishing, online fraud etc): Mandatory 6+ strokes minimum
– Scam syndicate members and recruiters: 6 to 24 strokes
– People who hand over bank accounts or SIM cards to scammers: Up to 12 strokes discretionary
– Serious non-scam fraud: Up to 24 strokes at court discretion
And this is all on top of up to 10 years in prison plus fines up to $350,000 Singapore dollars.
Why Singapore is Going Nuclear
The numbers are insane. According to Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, Singapore lost $2.8 billion USD to around 190,000 scam cases between 2020 and mid-2025. ABC News reports scams now make up 60% of all reported crime in the country.
Thats not a typo. More than half of all crime in Singapore is scam related.
The South China Morning Post notes that 2024 alone saw a 70% jump in scam-related crimes from the previous year. Something like 51,000 cases. The government basically decided enough was enough.
What Judicial Caning Actually Is
For those unfamiliar – this isnt like getting paddled in school. Singaporean judicial caning is administered with a rattan cane on bare buttocks while the prisoner is strapped to a frame. It leaves permanent scars. Medical officers are present because people pass out.
The punishment already exists for crimes like robbery, sexual assault, and drug trafficking. Singapore is one of a handful of countries that still uses it alongside Malaysia and Brunei.
Its only applied to males under 50 years old under existing regulations.
Will It Actually Work
Thats the million dollar question. Legal experts quoted by South China Morning Post say the move “marks the moral severity” of scam crimes and should serve as strong deterrence. But scam syndicates often operate across borders with masterminds sitting in other countries.
The local money mules and account providers will definitely think twice now. But whether that stops the operations entirely? Probably not.
Singapore launched the Scam Shield app back in 2020 to help people verify suspicious calls and messages. This caning law is basically the enforcement side of that equation.
One thing’s for sure – nobody’s gonna want to be the first test case when this kicks in next week.
