Protection from Scams Act: What if your bank account is ‘frozen’?

In 2024, scam victims in Singapore lost S$1.1 billion, marking a record high. More than four out of five of the reported scam cases in 2024 involved voluntary transfers of monies to a scammer after being deceived (also known as 'self-effected scams'), without the scammers actually gaining direct access to victims’ accounts.

Despite repeated warnings from family, friends, and bank staff, some victims remained so deeply convinced by the deception that they ultimately lost their life savings to scammers.

In January 2025, the Protection from Scams Act 2025 ('Protection from Scams Act') was passed by the Singapore Parliament to protect victims of self-effected transfers.

Under the new law, which came into effect on 1 July 2025, the Police can issue Restriction Orders ('RO') to banks to restrict an individual’s banking and credit facilities, if they believe the person will make fund transfers to scammers, withdraw cash to give to a scammer, or apply for or draw down on a credit facility with the intention of benefitting a scammer.

Here’s what you need to know about the new Restriction Orders and how they can affect access to your bank accounts.

What is a Restriction Order?

Under the Protection from Scams Act, Police officers now have the authority to issue a Restriction Order to direct banks to restrict a potential scam victim’s banking and credit facilities temporarily. The decision will be made by a Police officer based on the officer’s assessment of the relevant facts and circumstances of each case.

When a Restriction Order is in force, banks must disallow any transfer or withdrawal of money from the victim’s bank account maintained with them. Banks must also not grant or allow the drawdown of any credit facility to the scam victim. This means that the following banking products and services will be restricted – money transfers, ATM facilities, all credit and debit cards and personal loans.

How long does a Restriction Order last?

A Restriction Order generally lasts for a period of 30 days and can be extended up to five times, with each extension lasting not more than 30 days. This means that the Restriction Order can last for a period of up to 180 days in total.

The Police can also lift the order earlier if they determine you are no longer at risk of being deceived.

When does the Police issue an RO?

A Police officer may issue a Restriction Order if they have reason to believe that the scam victim will:

• Instruct the bank to transfer money from a bank account to a scammer;
• Withdraw any money from a bank account to give it to a scammer; or
• Apply for or draw down on a credit facility with the intention of benefitting a scammer.

The Police officer must also believe that the Restriction Order is necessary to protect the victim, considering how much time the authorities or other persons may need to intervene and reduce the risk of the victim falling deeper into the scam.

What happens if there’s a Restriction Order on your bank account with us – and what you can do

If you are affected by a Restriction Order, the Police will notify both you and your bank. As long as the Restriction Order is active, we will block all transfers, withdrawals, and access to credit facilities (including credit cards and personal loans).

However, you can still access your money for legitimate purposes, but this will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Police and you will need to apply to the Police to do so.

If you wish to appeal against the Restriction Order, you, or any joint account holder of that affected bank account, may do so with the Police. However, please note that the Restriction Order will continue to remain in force while awaiting the outcome of the appeal.

You or any joint account holder of that affected bank account may also consider applying for a variation of the Restriction Order to allow a transfer or withdrawal of money from a victim’s bank account, subject to any limitations or terms that the Police may specify.

Once the specified period ends, regular access to banking and credit facilities will resume.

Anti-scam cheat sheet: How to keep your account safe

 

The best way to prevent yourself from becoming a scam victim is to stay informed about the latest scam tactics and maintain good digital hygiene. Here are some practical things you can do:

• Keep your devices and apps up to date.
• Install the ScamShield Suite app to block scam calls and SMS.
• Protect your savings from digital scams with Money Lock.
• Do not click on suspicious links.
• Do not download apps from third-party websites.
• Only download apps from official stores.
• Never disclose your banking details and one-time passwords (OTP) to anyone.
• Do not enable screensharing.
• When in doubt, always verify the legitimacy of any offers or persons who claim to be a ‘bank officer’ or ‘government official’ with official sources.

By understanding the new law and how a Restriction Order works, and by using UOB’s protective features such as Money Lock, Kill Switch, and TMRW security alerts, you can better safeguard your money and bank more confidently.

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