By Sujin Thomas

SINCE last August, at least 22 people here have transferred money - often thousands of dollars - to supposed kidnappers who threatened to harm their relatives.

The unwitting victims - from bankers to the elderly - discovered only later that the ransom demands were a ruse and their loved ones were safe and sound.

This is just one of the scams that a new joint initiative by the non- profit organisation, National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), and international money transfer company Western Union hope to prevent.

Launched on Wednesday, the Security Awareness and Fraud Education (Safe) programme aims to prevent people from being taken in by scams that involve money transfers.

Not restricted to fake kidnappings, scams here include a host of plots, including those that see con artists pose as police officers or court staff.

As part of the effort, NCPC printed 23,000 pamphlets in both English and Mandarin, entitled 'Beware of Phone Scams!', which have been distributed to all banks here.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.