More NSFs may be deployed to fight scams online, say police

New Paper

12-07-2025

While many full-time national servicemen (NSFs) train in dense forests or patrol bustling streets, a special group of them wages an online war against scams.
Known as National Service Cybercrime Operators (NSCOs), they trawl social media for scammers and block scam websites from public access.
There are 10 NSFs in this new vocation, which was introduced in 2024 to bolster Singapore's fight against the scam scourge. That year, scam victims lost a record $1.1 billion.
A police spokeswoman said it plans to continue expanding the NSCO vocation to support more anti-cybercrime efforts across its units.
A member from its pioneer batch, Special Constable (SC) Irfan Daniyal Mohammad Shaarin, 21, likened scouring social media for scam activity to being a hunter in a jungle.
SC Irfan said: "Once I start the clock, it's free range for me. I will proactively seek out anyone and anything I can find that fits our criteria for taking down these accounts."
SC Irfan and his colleague SC Tan De Xun, 22, spoke to The Straits Times on July 9 at the Police Cantonment Complex about their experiences.
Both have a diploma in information technology, and did not expect to serve the nation this way.
SC Tan thought he would be an administrative clerk, as most of his friends received such postings.
But he was invited to undergo an aptitude test and interview for the new vocation, and was accepted.
SC Tan said: "I felt like I hit the jackpot."
The police said selection and assessment for the vocation are done during the Police Officer Basic Course, where suitable police NSFs are selected based on their aptitude and skill sets.
SC Tan, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites.
Examples include those impersonating celebrities and political leaders to sell cryptocurrency, or fraudulent imitations of banking sites.
One morning, SC Tan's team detected a fake bank website phishing for customers' Internet banking details. They blocked it within minutes, before Internet activity increased during the morning rush hour.
SC Tan, who will be pursuing a university degree in business artificial intelligence systems, said: "My time here is quite fulfilling, because being able to block or disrupt these websites, I'm protecting local residents from being exposed to them."
SC Tan De Xun, 22, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
At the Anti-Scam Command, SC Irfan scours social media for scam activity such as accounts impersonating government officials.
He then works with police officers to alert the respective social media platforms, which are obliged under the Online Criminal Harms Act to act promptly.
A common scam he deals with are fraudulent social media posts linked to CDC vouchers, which lure users to click on phishing links.
In February, the police warned members of the public to be cautious of such scams, noting victims may come across Instagram posts that prompt them to claim their CDC vouchers via a fake RedeemSG link.
SC Irfan said the challenge of cyber combat is dealing with scam accounts which pop up repeatedly.
He said: "Fighting scammers is like killing a hydra. You take down one head, two more appear.
"Whenever I take down a scam account, a few days later, or maybe even in a few hours, I would see another account with a very similar name."
But having witnessed his family members and friends fall prey to other scams, SC Irfan said he does not want others to experience the same ordeal.
He added: "I don't like to see people I care about feel helpless. So, my solution is to work directly in the area that might affect more of them in the future."
SC Irfan, whose childhood dream was to be a police officer, added: "Even though I'm not down (on the ground) patrolling or fighting criminals in operations, I am doing what I can with my capabilities."