Singapore – The National Crime Prevention Council of Singapore (NCPC), a non-profit organisation committed to promoting public awareness about crime, has launched their latest anti-scam awareness TVC for its ongoing ‘Spot the Signs’ campaign, aimed at renewing efforts to educate the public about scams that continue to plague the city.
The new spot, which was created in partnership with advertising agency Ogilvy Singapore, uses behavioural science techniques to hone in on the emotional and mental toll of being scammed, and the effect it can have on individuals.
Titled ‘The New Job’, the TVC highlights the scary aftermath and fallout that victims have to deal with after being exploited in a scam. The narrative brings Singaporeans to the realization that they too could have been victims, through juxtaposition with internal monologues, that capture the train of thought that led them to fall for the scam.
Khee Jin Ng, the chairman of Public Communications Sub-Committee, the council of National Crime, and the creative partner of Kheej LLP, shared that many in Singapore have been lulled into a false sense of security by thinking that they are immune to scams.
“Therefore, NCPC needs to continue in its efforts to raise awareness and educate the public in recognising the different signs of potential scams. We hope that the TV commercial and online video, which forms part of our NCPC Anti-Scam Campaign, will help convey this urgent message to the general public,” said Ng.
According to mid-year statistics released by the Singapore Police Force, scam victims last year lost S$168m to conmen in the top 10 scam categories in the first half of 2021, and a sharp spike from S$63.5m in the same period last year. This comes on the back of a 16% rise in the number of reported scam cases and an 11.2% hike in overall crime.
Mitchell Tan, Ogilvy Singapore’s executive group director, noted that their aim with this latest campaign is to go beyond logic and use emotion and empathy to reach the audience.
“Together our goal was to communicate to the public by using best practice techniques to help craft powerful, behaviour-changing narratives so that people will protect themselves against scams,” said Tan.
