Protecting Minds, Not Just Money: A Mental Health Approach to Scam Awareness

You think scams only happen to careless people, think again. In Singapore, students, working adults, gamers, concert fans, and even tech-savvy professionals are getting scammed every day. Not because they are stupid, but because scams don’t attack intelligence. They attack emotions.

A teen loses a Roblox account to someone they trusted in-game. A young professional misses a long-awaited concert after buying fake tickets from a Telegram seller. Someone downloads a “video chat app” from Instagram and ends up trapped in a sexual extortion scam. In all these cases, the money loss hurts, but the emotional damage hurts more.

That’s why scam prevention must include mental health.

Why Scam Prevention Must Include Mental Health

Most scam warnings sound like this: “Be careful.” “Don’t click.” “Don’t transfer money.”They focus on rules and fear.

But here’s the truth. When you’re excited, lonely, curious, stressed, or under pressure, rules don’t always help. Emotions take over. Your brain switches to survival mode. You act first and think later.

After the scam, what follows is often worse than the financial loss. Victims feel embarrassed. They feel scared and guilty. They replay the moment again and again. They don’t tell friends or family because they fear being judged. Some stop trusting people. Some lose confidence in themselves. And others retreat in their shell.

If we only talk about money, we miss the real harm. The biggest issue with scams is that they play with your mental health.

The Reality of the Three Scams

Gaming Scams

Gaming scams are especially common among youth in Singapore. A typical case shared by local counsellors involves teenagers playing games like Roblox or Valorant. A friendly player offers rare items, free upgrades, or help leveling up. Trust builds. Then login details are requested “just for a moment.”

The account disappears.

In some cases, the request goes further. A Roblox player may be asked to download a link on a parent’s phone in exchange for in-game upgrades. The link is later removed, with promises of even more rewards. What the young player doesn’t realise is that access has already been granted. Money is quietly siphoned from the parent’s bank account.

For the child, the fear comes later. Confusion turns into panic. Shame sets in. Many feel guilty and responsible, even though they were manipulated.

To adults, Roblox, Valorant, or Minecraft may seem like “just a game.” To a young person, it’s months or years of effort, identity, and social connection gone overnight. Some teens feel angry, scared, and deeply upset, yet stay silent because they think no one will take them seriously or they’re afraid of being blamed.

Concert Scams

Concert scams hit a different emotional trigger. It’s the excitement and fear of missing out. As the youth call it FOMO. Singapore saw a spike in fake ticket scams during major events like Taylor Swift and Coldplay concerts. Victims often found sellers on Carousell, Telegram, or Instagram, complete with screenshots and convincing stories.

Once payment was made, the seller vanished or delivered fake tickets.

Beyond the money, victims describe heartbreak and self-blame. “I was so excited.” “I should have known.” Missing an event, you were emotionally invested in can feel devastating, especially when you saved up or planned around it.

Sexual Service Scams

Sexual service scams are the most silent and emotionally damaging. These often start on social media platforms like Instagram, Meta or TikTok. A link leads to a fake app download. The app contains malware. Private images are captured. Then comes the blackmail or threat, “pay or we expose you”.

In Singapore, police have warned about such scams where victims lost thousands of dollars. But many more cases go unreported due to shame and fear. Victims experience panic, loss of control, and intense anxiety. Some feel isolated and unsafe in their own digital spaces. Many go through mental breakdown.

Why Traditional Warnings Fall Short

Too Much Fear, Too Little Empathy

Scam messages often scare people: “Don’t do this or you’ll lose everything.” Fear-based messaging can actually backfire. It makes victims feel judged and silenced. When people are ashamed, they don’t seek help. Silence gives scammers more power.

Focus on Money Instead of People

Most advice ends with “report it and move on.” But emotionally, people don’t just move on. They carry guilt, anger, and fear long after the scam ends. Without emotional support, victims are more vulnerable to future scams because their confidence is shaken.

Solutions That Put People First

Emotional Resilience Training

Teaching people how scams work is important. Teaching people how emotions work is essential. Emotional resilience means learning to pause, recognise pressure, and notice when something feels “off.” It’s about knowing that urgency, excitement, and fear are warning signs.

Normalising Conversations About Scams

Scams should be talked about the way we talk about stress or mental health: openly and without blame. When young people hear others share scam experiences, it removes stigma. It sends a powerful message: this can happen to anyone.

Early Intervention

The earlier someone talks about a suspicious situation, the safer they are. Encouraging youth to speak up before money is lost or damage escalates can prevent long-term harm. Early conversations save both money and mental well-being.

Role of Bamboo Builders

Bamboo Builders work where awareness matters most. They work at the community level. Through SG ScamWISE, an initiative by Bamboo Builders supported by Google.org, they aim to strengthen the resilience of lakhs of Singaporeans, especially underserved youths and seniors, against scams and online threats.

What makes Bamboo Builders effective is trust. They don’t lecture or scare people. They create safe, judgment-free spaces in schools, communities, and youth groups where real conversations can happen. People share experiences, close calls, and lessons learned.

When one person speaks up, others learn. Awareness becomes shared protection. Silence breaks.

Role of GRIP Connect

At GRIP Connect, we work closely with Bamboo Builders as an Impact Development Partner and Training Provider, supporting and strengthening anti-scam training by bringing a mental health lens into scam education. Together, we don’t just teach people how to avoid scams. We help people feel safer within themselves.

However, what truly sets GRIP Connect apart is how it brings mental health into the heart of scam prevention. We provide support to people when the emotional impact is often the heaviest. Instead of asking, “Why did you fall for it?”, we ask more human questions, “What were you feeling at that moment?” or “How are you feeling now?”.

Through listening, guidance, and coaching, GRIP Connect helps scam victims process guilt, fear, and self-blame. We support emotional recovery, rebuild confidence, and help people regain a sense of safety and control.GRIP Connect along with Bamboo Builders have recently completed training families for Empire Code school on Introduction to Scams. In this, parents and children signed up and attended sessions together at home or school to take this chance to learn and accumulate hours.  

Safer Communities Start with Healthier Minds

Scams will keep changing. New platforms, new tricks, new stories. But the emotional playbook stays the same.

If we want safer communities, we must protect minds, not just money. That means empathy over shame, conversation over silence, and mental well-being at the heart of scam awareness.

When people feel supported, informed, and emotionally strong, scammers lose their power.

A few Do’s and Don'ts with scam victims:

1. Sit with them, offer a drink, empathise with them, just listen and tell them it's not their fault ✅️

2. Be the least judgemental as humanly possible - e.g. when seniors were tricked into love scams, need not berate, question their decision and unapologetically ask why they fell for it ❌️

3. Report the case to Scam Shield (call 1799 in Singapore or install Scam Shield App from Google Playstore or AppStore)

4. Lodge a Police report on the loss with Singapore Police Force (online or physically).

5. Reset account passwords, setup 2FAs, protect personal information on social media

6. Seek professional help if the victim goes into anxiety or depression or may self harm

7. Call 1771 or visit mindline.sg for Singapore's mental health support; 

8. Call 1767 for SOS (Samaritans of Singapore).

9. GRIP Connect's Whatsapp is managed by our certified Mental Health First Aider.
   

Remember, scammers can target young or old, single or married, rich or poor. Vigilance is key. 

Our next free online training offered by RWA community x SG ScamWise is on 30 Jan. Learners who complete 2 hours of training will get a Google certification upon submitting feedback. 

Please join us as well as invite your friends and family by signing up here: https://luma.com/54co1dzv. 

Or reach out to us via email to deliver this free and certifiable digital safety and antiscam course to your schools, communities and work places.