Singapore plans to introduce mandatory caning for convicted online scammers, a senior government minister said Tuesday, as part of a tougher stance against fraud syndicates behind billions in losses.

Sim Ann, the Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, told parliament that amendments to the country’s criminal code would make caning compulsory for offenders who commit scams “mainly by means of remote communication.”

“Offenders who commit scams will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane,” she said during a parliamentary debate on the bill’s second reading.

Members of organized scam syndicates and recruiters would also face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, Sim said, while those who assist scammers — including so-called “money mules” who provide bank accounts or SIM cards — could receive up to 12 lashes.

Singapore has recorded over 190,000 scam cases since 2020, with total losses exceeding $2.8 billion, according to official data. Authorities say the city-state has intensified its crackdown on cybercrime while expanding public awareness campaigns, including the launch of a national anti-scam hotline and the ScamShield app.

Last week, police seized more than $115 million in assets linked to British-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, who the U.S. Justice Department has accused of running forced labour camps in Cambodia used for large-scale online scams.

In recent years, cyber-scam networks have proliferated across Southeast Asia, luring foreign workers into operations that defraud victims through fake investment and romance schemes.

Former premier Lee Hsien Loong has also spoken publicly about being targeted by scammers, underscoring how widespread the problem has become in Singapore.