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Singapore police can now seize bank accounts to stop scams

The new law was passed to combat Singapore's worsening scam problem, but some have said it is too intrusive.

The bank account owner will still have access to his funds for legitimate reasons, such as to pay for their daily expenses and bills, but can only use their money at the discretion of the police, according to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). In Parliament in January, some MPs suggested allowing citizens to opt out of the law, or giving people the option to nominate someone else to freeze their transactions instead of the authorities. Many are also increasingly falling prey to internet love scams, where fraudsters spend months building online relationships before tricking victims into sending money.

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