Joint media release: DBS, Singapore Courts, National Crime Prevention Council launch community hackathon to find solutions that foster a scam-resilient society

          SINGAPORE, 27 July 2022 – In a collective fight against scams, DBS, the Singapore Courts (SG Courts), and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) are jointly organising a community hackathon that challenges participants to come up with creative solutions that will enable the public and corporations to reinforce their anti-scam defence.

          The combined efforts come at a time when the number of scam cases in Singapore have soared by more than 50%, resulting in victims losing more than SGD 600 million to scammers last year¹. The increase is due to several factors, including a step up in scam activity, as well as poor cyber hygiene amongst victims.

          This unique private-public collaboration is organised under the banner of ‘Hackathon for a Better World’, which DBS and SG Courts launched in 2020 as an action-oriented platform for those with a passion to use innovation and law as forces for good to create valuable solutions to thorny issues that society faces. The hackathon also supports the Singapore Together movement, which brings together the Government and the community, as well as the private and public sectors, in citizen-led efforts to build a shared future for Singapore.

          To focus on ground-up solutions, the organisers have extended invitations to various organisations including tertiary institutions, the Singapore Police Force, SG Courts staff, leading law firms, as well as DBS employees, to form teams and take a crack at building a scam-resilient society. Over the next two months, more than 20 teams will “hack” away at one of three problem statements that have been jointly developed by DBS, SG Courts and NCPC:

• How can the public be more aware and take active steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from scams?
• How can we improve Singapore’s existing anti-scam measures to combat scams in an efficient and scalable manner?
• How can the legal community offer better protection and assistance to the public and businesses?

          Mr Lam Chee Kin, Group Head of Legal, Compliance and Secretariat at DBS Bank, said, “It’s great that the NCPC could join us in this third edition of ‘Hackathon for a Better World’.  We try to take on current issues, even if they are difficult, and this year is particularly challenging because criminals are constantly evolving their techniques. An outside-the-box “hackathon” approach may yield insights or implementable proposals that can complement the work already being done by the public and private sectors, which include law enforcement agencies, telcos, banks and e-commerce companies.”

          Mr Tan Ken Hwee, Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer for SG Courts said, “We are delighted to take part in this event once again, to explore creative ways to improve access to justice and solve problems that have significant social impact. With the unprecedented number of scams affecting Singaporeans, it is timely for this year’s hackathon to deal with them. Participants also receive valuable training in innovation and transformation processes which they will no doubt benefit from.”

          Mr Dan Yock Hau, National Crime Prevention Council member, said, “As scams become more devious and sophisticated, preying on those who let their guard down, we hope to tap on the creativity of our contestants to develop practical and sustainable solutions that go beyond what we have done so far in order to help nudge our citizens to become a scam resilient community.”

          Hackathon for a Better World will adopt a unique ‘slow-burn’ format, where participants work on their problem statements through an iterative process. This is unlike the usual hackathon format where participants solve problem statements over a few hours or a few days. The unconventional approach adopted in this instance will allow participants to have ample time and space to test their iterations while managing their existing commitments. This will also create a more conducive environment for participants to gain deeper insight and develop sharper, more meaningful responses to the complex challenges before them. 

          To support participants on their ‘learn-as-you-hack’ journey, DBS will organise a design thinking masterclass on 2 August to share the bank’s in-house innovation framework that enables participants to test, develop and validate data-driven insights as they work on their proposals. They will also receive first-hand insights on industry measures to counter scams that will help them with their ideation.

          As part of the day’s agenda, attendees will get to hear from industry experts, such as Carolyn Misir, principal psychologist at the Police Psychological Services Department, to better understand the psychology behind scams. Each team is also assigned a mentor – unless they opt for otherwise – from DBS and NCPC with whom they can check in for additional guidance.

         Submissions will close on 2 September. The participating teams will pitch their ideas before a panel of judges on 29 September, and the winners will be announced on 21 October.

¹ - Scam victims in S'pore lost $633.3 million in 2021

ISSUED BY:

DBS, SG Courts and the NCPC
27 July 2022

For media queries, please contact:

DBS
Jolyn Tan
Group Strategic Marketing and Communications
BS Bank
9336 4570
jolyntan@dbs.com

SG Courts
Ms Shirleen Lu
Assistant Director
Communications and Service Excellence Division
6332 5307
shirleen_lu@judiciary.gov.sg

NCPC
Ms Soh Xiu Jun
Senior Project Executive
National Crime Prevention Council Secretariat
6478 2104
soh_xiu_jun@ncpc.org.sg

About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 18 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney, “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker and “Best Bank in the World” by Global Finance. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney and the world’s “Most Innovative in Digital Banking” by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 13 consecutive years from 2009 to 2021. 

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by supporting social enterprises: businesses with a double bottom-line of profit and social and/or environmental impact. DBS Foundation also gives back to society in various ways, including equipping communities with future-ready skills and building food resilience. 

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

About SG Courts
The Singapore Courts – comprising the Supreme Court, State Courts and Family Justice Courts – is one of the three constitutional pillars of government in Singapore. Known collectively as SG Courts, we are integrated and coordinated to serve as one judiciary. As an organ of state, the judiciary’s function is to independently administer justice. Headed by the Chief Justice, we are a forward-looking, innovative and trusted judiciary. Built on judicial professionalism and transparency, we maintain the highest standards of integrity in safeguarding our community. We pledge to ensure equal and continuous access to justice, and we are committed to deliver justice that is fair and impartial.

For more information, please visit www.judiciary.gov.sg

About NCPC
The NCPC is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting public awareness of and concern about crime and to propagate the concept of self-help in crime prevention. The Council comprises representatives from the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as from the public sector and the Singapore Police Force.

About Singapore Together
Singapore Together is about Singaporeans working with one another, and with the Government, to build our shared future. The Government will open up more partnership opportunities for Singaporeans to participate, and support more citizen-led efforts. Whatever our background or interests, we can each step forward to contribute in areas that we care about. By working together, we can turn diversity into strength and transform challenges into opportunities, to build a Singapore that present and future generations of Singaporeans will be proud of. For more information, visit www.sg.