Singapore introduces mandatory caning for online fraudsters

Singapore’s parliament has amended the criminal code to introduce mandatory caning as punishment for online fraudsters.

According to The Washington Post (WP), the announcement was made by Singapore’s Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Sim Ann.

“Offenders committing fraud, defined as deception primarily through remote communication, will be punished with at least six strokes of the cane,” she said.

The WP noted that the mandatory punishment may be increased to up to 24 strokes. The initiative was introduced after tens of thousands of fraud cases were recorded in the first half of this year, resulting in losses of nearly $385 million.

Shortly before that, the Singaporean government passed a law to protect fraud victims, granting police the authority to instruct banks to restrict transactions on private accounts in cases of suspected fraud.

Other offences that already carry the penalty of caning include rape, drug trafficking and illegal moneylending. The punishment only applies to male offenders under the age of 50.

By Khagan Isayev