The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), an international network of organisations, has expanded its commitment to protect consumers from harmful activities of online fraudsters, with the launch of its first Asia chapter in Singapore.
Leveraging Singapore’s role as a regional hub and solidifying a local network of stakeholders across key sectors such as technology, finance and academia, the Singapore Chapter will support GASA’s global objectives while extending its reach to Asia Pacific.
Establishment of the Singapore Chapter
The Singapore Chapter is led by Mastercard (Chair) and Amazon (Vice-Chair), and comprises members including TikTok, Feedzai, Google, Grab, HSBC, Mediacorp, Meta, NTU, NUS, OCBC, Rajah & Tann Technologies, Standard Chartered, ST Engineering and Trend Micro. Recognising that the proliferation of online scams can only be effectively addressed through a collaborative approach, members will bring together their expertise and advance best practices to collectively combat scams and fraud.
Rajat Maheshwari, chairman of GASA Singapore Chapter and vice president, Cyber & Intelligence, Mastercard, said, “Cybercrime continues to grow aggressively around the world, and a unified approach is key to fighting scam and protecting consumers. The formation of the first Asia chapter of GASA in Singapore not only demonstrates the industry’s willingness to collaborate against cyber fraud, but also showcases Singapore’s success in fostering public-private cooperation to advance national initiatives.”
The creation of the Singapore Chapter is timely and is aligned to GASA’s global plans. According to the 2023 Asia Scam Report published by GASA and Gogolook, scams have emerged as a new normal in the region, as more than 60 per cent of Asians now face at least one scam each week. In Singapore, according to the Singapore Police Force, the total number of scam cases increased by 46.8 per cent from 31,728 in 2022 to 46,563 in 2023.
This highlights the urgent need for continuous efforts to drive consumer education via public awareness campaigns that can help the population – especially the more vulnerable consumers – to recognise scams, thereby enhancing collective protection against the evolving and increasingly sophisticated scam tactics.
Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Mr Tan Kiat How, who is GASA Singapore’s patron said “Tackling scams requires a Whole-of-Society approach and the involvement of industry stakeholders is crucial. Through a deeper public-private collaboration, we can improve the sharing of information on trends and emerging scam techniques, and test out new ideas that can better safeguard consumers. In this respect, we welcome the establishment of the Singapore Chapter of GASA and look forward to this partnership and what we can achieve together.”
Jorij Abraham, Managing Director of GASA said, “It’s essential that we continue to grow our network globally through new chapters and partnerships. This allows us to share insights, foster solutions, and ultimately, build a more resilient ecosystem against scams. I encourage organisations worldwide to join us in this vital mission. Together, we can make a substantial impact in protecting consumers everywhere.”
Shze Min Yah, vice chair of GASA Singapore Chapter and public policy manager at Amazon, said, “Scams are a cross-industry issue, which is why knowledge sharing and partnerships between stakeholders in the public and private sectors are key to protect consumers.”
