GASA Extends Global Anti-Scam Summit (Asia) to Singapore on October 21-22

–    Follows the success of the first GASA Asia Summit held in Taipei in 2023 which gathered more than 300 participants from the public and private sectors.
–   According to the upcoming GASA Asia Scam Report 2024, nearly half of Asians experience scams at least once a month.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) has announced the extension of the Global Anti-Scam Summit (Asia) to Singapore on October 21-22. Supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the Summit is the largest gathering of anti-scam stakeholders across sectors. Participants from across Australia, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan Region, Thailand, The Netherlands, the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States and beyond will focus on the theme “The Network to Defeat a Network,” aiming to foster collaboration and develop strategies to protect the public from scams. Participants can look forward to sharing sessions by private stakeholders and experts from GASA, major global companies like Amazon, Gogolook, Google, Mastercard, and Meta, as well as Government officials, law enforcement agencies, financial authorities, and non-profit organisations.

Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development, is the Guest-of-Honour for the event, and will be delivering an opening address. GASA Singapore’s Patron, Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of National Development, will also launch GASA’s industry awards and engage participants in a fireside chat.

According to the upcoming Asia Scam Report 2024, published by GASA, nearly half of Asians experience scams at least once a month. In Singapore, scams continue to be of grave concern, with more than 26,000 reported cases and more than $350 million lost to scams in the first half of 2024 alone. In other parts of the region, Thailand and South Korea reported the largest increase in scams.  Scams are a transnational crime affecting all countries, where criminals act across borders. To address this growing threat, it is essential for governments and industries to unite. Accordingly, the Global Anti-Scam Summit – Asia 2024, supported by the Singapore public sector, will collaborate to combat these growing threats in Asia. Participants include members from the Singapore Chapter, Mastercard as Chair, and Amazon as Vice-Chair, with partners including Feedzai, Gogolook, Google, Meta, Nanyang Technological University, ScamAdviser and Trend Micro.

“Scam cases have risen exponentially in recent years, and is a global problem – no country is spared. Fighting scams requires a collective global effort, and we need to work across borders, with international partners, to be able to disrupt scammers’ operations and protect our local population. International collaborations can range from strengthening operational processes between law enforcement agencies to act against scam syndicates and recover scam proceeds, to collectively raising our security measures and safeguards to prevent scams”, said Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development. “I am heartened that our friends and counterparts from all around the world will be taking part in this Summit which is being helmed by Singapore for the first time. The networks we build at this Summit and our understanding of each others’ work processes will enhance our collective response against scams.”

“As we build on last year’s successful summit in Taiwan with Gogolook, we are excited to expand this annual Anti-Scam Summit – Asia to Singapore, where we will continue fostering cross-sector partnerships to tackle the global issue of scams,” said GASA Managing Director Jorij Abraham. “We are honored to collaborate with the Singapore government on this summit. Alongside the event, we are also releasing The State of Scams Asia report, offering a comprehensive analysis of the growing threats across Asian countries.”

Rajat Maheshwari, Chair of GASA Chapter Singapore and Vice President, Security Solutions 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 tackle one of the biggest challenges of the day.”

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.”

Over the two days, keynote speakers and interactive panels will share invaluable perspectives on scam prevention, regulatory advancements, and public awareness campaigns.  The speakers include representatives from the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs and the

Singapore Police Force, as well as leading tech companies such as Amazon, Gogolook, Google, Mastercard, and Meta. Officials from various law enforcement and government agencies will also attend panel discussions under the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Bank Collaboration, Cybersecurity, Data Sharing, Financial Services, Global Collaboration and Telecom & Communication.

The Global Anti-Scam Summit – Asia will also unveil the latest findings from the Asia Scam Report, aimed at raising public awareness of digital scams and laying the groundwork for future policy development and advocacy in global anti-scam initiatives and AI applications. In addition to the Asia Scam Report, area-specific reports will also be distributed, offering an in-depth exploration of the scam landscape in Japan, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan Region, Thailand and the Philippines.

The event taking place at Suntec Singapore on October 20-21, will offer both in-person and virtual participation. To be part of the Global Anti-Scam Summit – Asia, please visit the official website: https://www.gasa.org/gass-2024-asia

The release is sent by Constellar on behalf of Global Anti Scam Alliance (GASA) Singapore Chapter.

To attend the Summit, please RSVP to comms@constellar.co.

About GASA

The Global Anti Scam Alliance’s (GASA) mission is to protect consumers worldwide from scams by raising awareness, enabling hands-on tools, facilitating knowledge sharing, organizing research, and offering training and education.

For more information, please refer to: https://www.gasa.org/