SPF will deploy over 400 officers to a dedicated frontline unit targeting scam and cybercrime infrastructure.
A new Cyber Command will be formed in July to bring Singapore Police Force’s anti-scam and cybercrime capabilities under one roof, as authorities move to disrupt online threats “further upstream” before they hit victims.
Creation And Scale Of The Cyber Command
Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming announced on May 11 that the Cyber Command will start as a frontline unit with about 200 officers and eventually grow to more than 400. It will consolidate existing cybercrime and anti-scam capabilities, including the current Anti-Scam Command, to deliver a more coordinated response to online threats.
Upstream Disruption And AI Tools
Mr Goh said the unit will focus on taking the fight “further upstream” by proactively dismantling criminal infrastructure such as fake websites and malicious phone lines used in phishing scams. SPF already uses artificial intelligence to identify suspected scam sites and can quickly block about two-thirds of them; the goal is to evolve these tools so authorities can detect and shut down scam channels faster and more cheaply than criminals can create them.
Rising AI-Enabled Fraud And Local Losses
Pointing to an Interpol report, Mr Goh noted that AI-enabled fraud can be up to 4.5 times more profitable than traditional scams, contributing to an estimated US$442 billion in global scam losses in 2025. Singapore recorded over 37,300 scam cases and $913.1 million in losses that year, with more than 7,800 cases and $144.3 million lost in just the first quarter of 2026, eroding trust and driving some seniors to become “digital refusers” who withdraw from online life out of fear.
Anti-Scam Centre, Crypto Focus And Blockchain Intelligence
Since 2019, the police Anti-Scam Centre has helped recover more than $730 million in scam proceeds; it will be embedded within the new Cyber Command and expanded to include teams using blockchain intelligence to trace and recover cryptocurrencies. Assistant Superintendent Lee Hua Sheng said crypto scams pose unique challenges because transfers are fast, borderless and irreversible, with scammers rapidly moving funds across multiple wallets and jurisdictions to obscure the trail.
International Cooperation And Project FRONTIER+
A key mandate of the Cyber Command will be strengthening cross-border operations by partnering overseas law-enforcement agencies. Mr Goh highlighted Project FRONTIER+, launched in 2024, which links anti-scam units from more than a dozen jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand; in 2025 it helped recover over $28 million and led to more than 2,100 arrests. The new command will build on such efforts while expanding local outreach so more citizens can spot and resist online criminal threats.
Singapore’s new Cyber Command reflects a strategic shift from reacting to scams one victim at a time to dismantling the infrastructure and cross-border syndicates that power them, even as criminals embrace AI and crypto. For Indonesians and Singaporeans, its success will depend not only on technology and international cooperation, but also on everyday vigilance and willingness to report suspicious activity so the “tip of the spear” can strike early and effectively.
Sources: Straits Times (2026) , Yahoo! News Singapore (2026)
Keywords: Cyber Command, Anti-Scam Command, Goh Pei Ming, Project FRONTIER+, Blockchain Intelligence
