Naomi Neo partners MHA for comedic video educating Singaporeans on scam prevention

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YouTube will be collaborating with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and local content creator Naomi Neo in a video to raise awareness about scams.

Neo was selected because of her idea to use comedy to highlight every individual’s vulnerability to scams that will educate and entertain audiences, according to the agency in a statement.

The collaboration is also part of the YouTube Creators for Impact programme that was launched in July 2023, and supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information. As part of Creators for Impact, YouTube and MHA held an open call to the wider local YouTube creator community to invite more video ideas that further educate and engage Singaporeans on online scam awareness.

The programme aims to respond to the 64.5% increase in scam cases in the first half of 2023 as compared to the same period last year, based on the Singapore Police Force (SPF)’s Mid-Year Scams and Cybercrime Brief.

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“Impactful content always has a home on YouTube as we strive to help people stay informed about important issues in society,” said Ajay Vidyasagar, managing director for YouTube Southeast Asia and emerging markets.

“Our creators know best that knowledge is key to combating online scams, and through their strong responses to the program, we continue to be inspired by their creativity and commitment to impart important know-how in engaging ways,” Vidyasagar explained, noting that the video will be released closer to the end of the year.

In support of the national anti-scam campaign, ‘I Can ACT Against Scams’, Creators for Impact worked with 12 local creator channels to develop videos that include anecdotes from scam victims and steps that people can take to stay vigilant against scams.

“I am heartened to see our content creators stepping up to this important task of engaging different segments of the population to amplify anti-scam messages within their communities,” said Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development.

“This partnership with Google underscores the Government’s unwavering commitment to combat scams, through cultivating a vigilant and discerning public capable of ACT-ing against scams,” she added.

As the number of scams has increased, the number of eCommerce complaints has also increased by 54% in the first half of 2023 as compared to the same period last year despite an 8% drop in general consumer complaints, according to the Consumers Association of Singapore’s (CASE) mid-year consumer complaints report.

The report revealed that CASE received 1,703 complaints involving online purchases in the first half of 2023 as compared to 1,107 complaints in the first half of 2022.

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