Across the Pond and Google Singapore’s new film tells true story of a scam victim turned vigilante

Independent creative agency, Across the Pond, has created this new film, “The Thaw”. Commissioned by Google Singapore, the film premiered at Google’s Safer with Google event, where the tech giant renewed its commitment to supporting digital literacy efforts, particularly for vulnerable segments of society.

“The Thaw” underscores the crucial role of grassroots education in combating online scams through Google.org’s support for Bamboo Builders. The Singaporean social enterprise was provided with a US$2 million (approximately S$2.6 million) grant to launch SG ScamWISE – a local initiative that aims to educate and protect 100,000 underserved youths and seniors against scams and online threats by 2026.

“The strongest frontline against online scams is not an anti-scam product or a bank partnership,” added Andrea Lau, Creative Director at Across the Pond. “It is the very people on the ground, who can initiate grassroots micro-movements to protect themselves and their loved ones. That’s why we are proud to partner Google on this impactful project and celebrate the on-ground reality of how every beneficiary of their digital literacy drive is a changemaker within the community.”

Online scams can be a terrifying ordeal that leaves victims feeling helpless and paralysed by fear. This paralysis often stems from a combination of factors such as the inability to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent communications, the loss of control over personal information and financial security, and the emotional isolation from falling victim to online scams.

The film is a dramatisation of this paralysis and demonstrates how when one is equipped with digital literacy, the effects reach far beyond oneself. The film features the true story of Willie Lee, the protagonist and real-life beneficiary who frees his local community from the paralysis of fear as a digital literacy advocate.