Youth offending rate rises in Singapore, driven by jump in cheating offences
Singapore's youth offending rate increased in 2025, primarily driven by a 37% rise in cheating and scam-related offenses. Many young people are being recruited as money mules, relinquishing their bank and digital credentials to facilitate fraudulent transactions.
Why it matters
The trend highlights a growing concern regarding the exploitation of minors in digital financial crimes and the need for increased youth digital literacy.
The number of young people committing cheating and related offences rose by 37 per cent in 2025, with many involved in scams as mules.
File photo of the Family Justice Courts in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
Emil Chan 29 Sep 2026 06:00PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a new cards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: The youth offending rate rose in Singapore in 2025, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Tuesday (Sep 29), driven mainly by an increase in cheating and related offences.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in