SINGAPORE: The total number of reported crimes in Singapore increased by 7 per cent in the first half of 2019 to 16,745 cases, compared to 15,649 cases for the same period in 2018, the police said on Friday (Aug 30). The increase was largely due to a rise in scam cases, with e-commerce scams, loan scams, credit-for-sex scams and Internet love scams collectively making up 80 per cent of the top ten scam types reported in the first half of 2019, the police said in its news release. The total number of reported cases for these four types of scams increased by almost 60 per cent compared to the same period in 2018. The police added that if cases related to the ten main types of scams were excluded, the increase in the total number of reported crimes for the first half of 2019 would be just 0.5 per cent when compared to the same period last year. E-commerce scams had the highest number of reported cases among all types of scams in the first half of the year, with an increase of 42 per cent to 1,435 cases, and a total of S$1.2 million cheated from victims. The largest sum cheated in a single case in…