The National Crime Prevention Council launches #XiamTheScams, a fun, educational and easy-to-play life simulator web game developed by Sqkii.
The Game is created to reflect real-life complexities where balancing health, wealth, happiness, relationships and fun can be a challenge. The thrill of playing comes from overcoming these challenges and climbing the leaderboard. To do that, players have to pick a character and go through the character’s life journey. There are three characters to choose from, and altogether hundreds of scenarios across ninety storylines.
The challenge is to make the wisest choice at each scenario and earn the highest score during the game period. The Game, however, is not as straightforward as it seems: Knowing that every step matters is not enough because not every opportunity is what it seems. To get ahead, players must weigh and juggle choices such a career, finance, relationships and self-care, and avoid scams in their journey to maximise their overall score in health, wealth, happiness, relationships and fun statistics with limited energy.
At the end of the game period, the top 100 scorers on #XiamTheScams leaderboard will receive cash prizes. There is a grand prize of S$10,000 for the best player, and a total cash prize pool of S$55,000 to be given away. Stars are also awarded based on the score at the end of each storyline which can be used to open Gift Boxes containing vouchers and other non-cash prizes, or energy to accelerate gameplay. A total of more than S$200,000 worth of cash and Gift Box prizes are up for grabs.
“Scams are fast evolving and employ complex tactics that can be deceiving. Many scams appear legitimate and are pervasive in our daily lives. Through gamification using #XiamTheScams, we hope to raise awareness of the different scams, improve anti-scam knowledge levels, and thereby increase vigilance against such crimes,” says Mr. Gerald Singham, Chairman of NCPC. “By taking on this innovative gamification approach, NCPC aims to engage the public in a fun yet educational way. We can all ACT against scams and score in the game, and also in our lives. Together, we can xiam the scams.”
ACT is a framework developed by NCPC and the Singapore Police Force to educate the public on the actions that
individuals can take against scams. These actions are: Add security measures to protect against scammers, check scam signs and authenticity, and finally, tell the authorities and your loved ones.
“In the development of #XiamTheScams, we aim to create a realistic environment where players can make decisions just as they would in everyday life,” shares Mr. Kenny Choy, CEO & co-founder of Sqkii. “This immersive experience offers a safe space to practise the application of the ACT framework, empowering players to recognise and avoid scams, and helping them seamlessly translate these skills into real-world protection.”
HOW TO PLAY
#XiamTheScams has one leaderboard. To play, players have to pick their characters and go through storylines which have different scenarios. At each scenario, players have to make a decision from two to three options. Each decision impacts the statistics and therefore the overall score.
To play and start scoring, simply:
Step 1: Visit #xiamthescams official website.
Step 2: Pick a character. There are three to choose from: Financial Guru Amy/Good Deal Charlie/Streamer Tommy.
Step 3: Play and score.
Energy will be progressively recharged every 10 minutes until fully charged. The five statistics affecting overall score however will drop over time. If the statistics and overall score fall too low, the character loses. The five statistics are:
• Health – Physical & mental
• Wealth – Cash & assets
• Happiness – Positive emotions
• Relationship – Social, love & family
• Fun – Entertainment
To replay, repeat the steps. Choose a different character or play the same character. Beat the old score to get a better rank on the leaderboard.
HOW TO CLIMB THE LEADERBOARD
To rank as high on the leaderboard as possible, simply:
1. Play regularly. Energy is recharged every 10 minutes until fully charged
2. Make the right decisions. Each decision affects the statistics and energy level.
Tip: Check the Book of Scams within the game to see the scams which the character has encountered. Collect Stars and use them carefully to exchange for Energy or open Gift Boxes for real rewards in life.
#XiamTheScams game period starts now till 22 January 2025. Simply visit the official website to start playing.