'Spare a thought for elderly victims': Shanmugam on deterrent sentences for young scam offenders

Young offenders cannot be treated more leniently simply because of their age, as this could incentivise scam syndicates to recruit more young people as mules, said Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam in parliament on Tuesday (Oct 6). More than 1,000 young people were investigated in connection with scam reports in 2025, while more than 5,000 elderly scam victims lost about S$200 million. He said new legislation will be tabled in parliament that would reinforce the approach of imposing deterrent sentences on scammers and those who facilitate scams, including young offenders. “Each time we have such a case, it is understandable that we look at the age of the offender and feel sympathetic. But spare a thought also for the victims, including elderly victims,” said Shanmugam. #singapore #sgnews Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Visit our website: https://cna.asia Download our app: https://cna.asia/app Get our editors' picks of stories via chat apps: Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp: https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us on these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia