Jeffrey’s own scam stories, nearly losing £500

Why young people still fall for job scams

How he exposed a love scam with reverse search

When victims get their self-image threatened

Is there anti-scam fatigue?

Sharing scam info is an act raising awareness

Frequent police advisories, daily news stories, a repeated “Add, Check, Tell” mantra – Singaporeans should be better at recognising scams by now.

Yet many continue to fall prey to scammers who keep adapting and refining their approach.

So far in 2025, more than 31,200 cases of scams have been reported, with victims losing over $750.3 million. Last year, the amount lost to scams crossed the $1 billion mark.

In this episode of The Usual Place podcast, I speak with Mr Jeffery Chin, deputy director of the Singapore Police Force’s Scam Public Education Office.

Set up in 2023, the office is staffed by police officers, civilian officers and psychologists who work closely together to drive anti-scam public education efforts.

We’ll discuss how scams have evolved over the years, what makes a person an “ideal” scam victim, and why people end up becoming money mules.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:47Jeffrey’s personal brushes with scams and having nearly lost £500

9:59 Why young people fall for job scams

21:22 How Jeffrey exposed a love scam in seconds using a simple trick in reverse image search

24:05 When victims get their self-image threatened

28:59 Is there anti-scam fatigue?

32:56 Why sharing information about scams is a form of community service

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producer: Lynda Hong

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

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YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Frequent police advisories, daily news stories, a repeated &ldquo;Add, Check, Tell&rdquo; mantra &ndash; Singaporeans should be better at recognising scams by now.
Yet many continue to fall prey to scammers who keep adapting and refining their approach.
So far in 2025, more than 31,200 cases of scams have been reported, with victims losing over $750.3 million. Last year, the amount lost to scams crossed the $1 billion mark.
In this episode of The Usual Place podcast, I speak with Mr Jeffery Chin, deputy director of the Singapore Police Force&rsquo;s Scam Public Education Office.
Set up in 2023, the office is staffed by police officers, civilian officers and psychologists who work closely together to drive anti-scam public education efforts.
We&rsquo;ll discuss how scams have evolved over the years, what makes a person an &ldquo;ideal&rdquo; scam victim, and why people end up becoming money mules.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:47Jeffrey&rsquo;s personal brushes with scams and having nearly lost &pound;500
9:59 Why young people fall for job scams
21:22 How Jeffrey exposed a love scam in seconds using a simple trick in reverse image search
24:05 When victims get their self-image threatened
28:59 Is there anti-scam fatigue?
32:56 Why sharing information about scams is a form of community service
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast">https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast</a>
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn:&nbsp;<a href="https://str.sg/v6DN">https://str.sg/v6DN</a>
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor &amp; Ernest Luis
Editorial producer: Lynda Hong
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: <a href="https://str.sg/5nfm?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://str.sg/5nfm?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://str.sg/5nfm</a>
Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://str.sg/9ijX?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://str.sg/9ijX?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://str.sg/9ijX</a>
Spotify: <a href="https://str.sg/cd2P?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://str.sg/cd2P?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://str.sg/cd2P</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast</a>
Feedback to: <a href="mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">podcast@sph.com.sg</a>
SPH Awedio app: <a href="https://www.awedio.sg/?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://www.awedio.sg/?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://www.awedio.sg</a>
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: <a href="https://str.sg/wvz7?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="https://str.sg/wvz7?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">https://str.sg/wvz7</a>
Get more updates: <a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link"></a><a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts?ref=inline-article" aria-label="link" data-testid="custom-link">http://str.sg/stpodcasts</a>
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#tup #tuptr

Natasha and her guests unpack the latest current affairs, every Thursday.

Synopsis: Join host and correspondent Natasha Ann Zachariah every Thursday live at noon, as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. 

Podcaster: Natasha Ann Zachariah

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producer: Lynda Hong

A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media

Synopsis: Join host and correspondent Natasha Ann Zachariah every Thursday live at noon, as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.&nbsp;
Podcaster: Natasha Ann Zachariah
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor &amp; Ernest Luis
Editorial producer: Lynda Hong
A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media

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