Courts to consider reformative training or imprisonment as default sentences for young scam offenders

A new bill was introduced in parliament on Nov. 3, 2026, requiring courts to consider reformative training or imprisonment as punishments for convicted young scam offenders. In its first parliament reading, introduced by Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming on behalf of Senior Minister and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam, the bill would make these punishments the default sentencing options for youths aged 21 and below who commit scam-related offences. Exceptions would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. High court ruling The bill's proposal comes after a High Court ruling on Sep. 10, in the case of Mohamed Erzan Taib Zohri v Public Prosecutor, where the court ruled that reformative training or imprisonment should not be the default sentence for young offenders who commit scam-enabling offences. Some offenders in that case, who were aged between 16 and 20 at the time of committing the scam-related offences, had their sentences substituted with probation instead after appeal. In response, SM Shanmugam said in parliament on Oct. 6 that greater weight should be given to deterrence in such cases, instead of treating rehabilitation as the primary consideration because of their age. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Parliament's intent has always been that swift and decisive deterrence of scams and scam-enabling offences is needed, and that the court should consider reformative training or imprisonment as the primary and default sentencing options, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Bill's introduction thus sets out and reiterates this intent, it said. If passed, the legislation will apply to the sentencing of scam and scam-enabling offences committed before, on or after the Act's commencement date. The ministry added, "If a deterrent approach is not taken, Singapore’s scam and youth offending situation could deteriorate." Scams most prevalent crime type in Singapore According to MHA, scams remain the most prevalent crime type in Singapore. The Singapore police received an average of 90 scam reports in the first half of 2026, amounting to S$2 million in losses per day. Elderly victims aged 65 and above remain the age group suffering the highest average losses from scams. In 2025, the police also investigated more than 1,000 youths in connection with scam reports. The number of youths who committed cheating and related offences increased by 37 per cent, from 814 in 2024 to 1,114 in 2025. Most youths involved in these offences were involved in scam cases as mules, said MHA. As scammers, often use bank account, local SIM cards and Singpass accounts to perpetuate scams, disrupting the supply of these enablers is therefore key, said MHA. Since 2023, the ministry has passed five Bills to deter scam mules, including creating new offences to penalise mules. Caning for scam and scam-enabling offences was also introduced.