https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/scamshield-helpline-expands-ops-daily-calls-jump-30-700-last-year
singapore
PHOTO: AsiaOne: Kimi Ang
PUBLISHED ON September 16, 2025 7:24 PM BY Kimi Ang
If you have dialled 1799 in the past year, you may have been helped by ScamShield helpline operator Ashley Teh.
The 26-year-old is among the team of helpline agents who has given advice to victims who got caught in developing situations as scam targets.
The 1799 ScamShield helpline, fronted by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), has handled over 128,000 calls and online chats since its launch one year ago, as members of public reached out to check if something they were facing was a scam.
Currently, the helpline receives between 500 and 700 calls daily, up from 30 when the helpline first launched in September 2024.
A ceremony was held at Certis on Monday (Sept 15) to mark the helpline's first anniversary and launch the new operations centre.
(From left to right) Tan Puay Kern, vice chairman of NCPC, Gerald Singham, chairman of NCPC, and Devrajan Bala, director of Scam Public Education Office, Singapore Police Force, at the ceremony on Monday (Sept 15). PHOTO: AsiaOne/Kimi Ang
Aside from the expansion of space to accommodate more helpline agents like Teh, NCPC's chairman Gerald Singham shared that they are looking to enhance their AI chatbot to afford human agents more time to address challenging cases, as well as ensure better sustainability in their operations.
As a helpline agent, Ashley Teh has to keep up to date with new scam variants and provide advice to members of the public who reach out. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Kimi Ang
Teh shared that as helpline agent, it was critical for her to establish a good understanding of the callers' situation to effectively prevent scammers from exploiting them. She explained that while many callers might simply be conducting fact checks, some might be actively caught in dangerous situations.
One such case involved a victim who had received calls from a scammer posing as government official. The purported 'MAS officer' accused the victim of money laundering and instructed her to withdraw $38,000 to "assist with investigations". Thankfully, the victim reached out to 1799 for help.
The agent managed to calm her down, successfully convincing her that she was dealing with a scam. As a result, the victim did not suffer any financial losses.
"What agents usually do is to really listen to them (scam targets), understand how they are feeling and also point out the red flags to them," said Teh.
NCPC also warned that the number of government official impersonation scams nearly tripled in the first half of 2025, with 1,762 cases compared with 589 in the first half of 2024. It encouraged members of the public to continue reaching out to the free ScamShield helpline whenever they are unsure if something could be a scam.
"Scam target not based on demographics, but really, it targets those who are uninformed," said NCPC's Singham.
He also emphasised the ACT "Add, Check, Tell" framework, which outlines three key actions for defences against scams: adding the ScamShield app to block and detect scam calls, checking for scam signs, and telling family and friends about scams to promote better overall vigilance.
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singapore
ScamShield helpline expands ops as daily calls jump from 30 to 700 in the last year
PHOTO: AsiaOne: Kimi Ang
PUBLISHED ON September 16, 2025 7:24 PM BY Kimi Ang
If you have dialled 1799 in the past year, you may have been helped by ScamShield helpline operator Ashley Teh.
The 26-year-old is among the team of helpline agents who has given advice to victims who got caught in developing situations as scam targets.
The 1799 ScamShield helpline, fronted by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), has handled over 128,000 calls and online chats since its launch one year ago, as members of public reached out to check if something they were facing was a scam.
Currently, the helpline receives between 500 and 700 calls daily, up from 30 when the helpline first launched in September 2024.
Scaling ScamShield helpline operations
Given the steady increase in calls received, the ScamShield helpline had relocated its operations from the Police Cantonment Complex to Certis since July 1 to accommodate the additional manpower required. It now houses over 10 helpline operators - up from six.A ceremony was held at Certis on Monday (Sept 15) to mark the helpline's first anniversary and launch the new operations centre.
Aside from the expansion of space to accommodate more helpline agents like Teh, NCPC's chairman Gerald Singham shared that they are looking to enhance their AI chatbot to afford human agents more time to address challenging cases, as well as ensure better sustainability in their operations.
Teh shared that as helpline agent, it was critical for her to establish a good understanding of the callers' situation to effectively prevent scammers from exploiting them. She explained that while many callers might simply be conducting fact checks, some might be actively caught in dangerous situations.
One such case involved a victim who had received calls from a scammer posing as government official. The purported 'MAS officer' accused the victim of money laundering and instructed her to withdraw $38,000 to "assist with investigations". Thankfully, the victim reached out to 1799 for help.
The agent managed to calm her down, successfully convincing her that she was dealing with a scam. As a result, the victim did not suffer any financial losses.
"What agents usually do is to really listen to them (scam targets), understand how they are feeling and also point out the red flags to them," said Teh.
Combatting scams with vigilance
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) reported that while the amount of $456.4 million lost to scams decreased by 12.6 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, that the scam situation remains concerning.NCPC also warned that the number of government official impersonation scams nearly tripled in the first half of 2025, with 1,762 cases compared with 589 in the first half of 2024. It encouraged members of the public to continue reaching out to the free ScamShield helpline whenever they are unsure if something could be a scam.
"Scam target not based on demographics, but really, it targets those who are uninformed," said NCPC's Singham.
He also emphasised the ACT "Add, Check, Tell" framework, which outlines three key actions for defences against scams: adding the ScamShield app to block and detect scam calls, checking for scam signs, and telling family and friends about scams to promote better overall vigilance.
Read Also
