Uniting with Malaysia and Thai peers to combat scams

The latest edition of the Thai-ed with Love initiative by the NUS Pro Bono Group (PBG) has NUS Law students working with their peers in Malaysia for the second year running, marking a growing partnership between law students in the neighbouring countries as they embark on pro bono work with Thailand’s Thammasat University (TU).

What sets this year’s theme apart is the focus on scam awareness, particularly online love scams, e-commerce scams and online gambling scams. Deliberately chosen in response to the rapid rise of digital fraud targeting young people across Southeast Asia, scams have been identified as one of the most prevalent digital threats facing young people in Thailand.

Identifying the growing need for practical legal education to equip communities to recognise the warning signs and respond effectively, a group of students from NUS Law, the University of Malaya (UM) Legal Clinic, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Legal Aid Club, and TU’s Faculty of Law met up in Thailand to reach out to beneficiaries there, engage in interactive sessions with one another and learn about anti-scam efforts in the country.

Project Preparation

Planning for the programme began months before the trip, with students from all three jurisdictions convening weekly meetings to conceptualise, design and refine the outreach activities. PBG Vice-President (External) Tong Siew En’28 shared, “It was challenging to schedule meetings with such a large group of collaborators, especially when everyone has different exam timetables. Finding time to meet reflected everybody’s commitment to the programme.”

This year, the law students from the Malaysia law clubs also took a front row seat, being involved not just as participants but also co-planners with their counterparts, enriching the exchange and broadening the range of activities conducted during the trip.

Pro Bono Work in Action

During the trip that took place from 10 to 14 December 2025, students went to the Wat Sa Kaeo Orphanage. In preparation, they had designed interactive educational booths and game-based activities aimed at empowering them with the skills to identify red flags and understand what they can do if they encounter scams online.

The outreach focused on the three scam types identified as among the most common to the youth in Thailand: online love scams, e-commerce scams and online gambling scams. The students from the three jurisdictions each helmed one category, conceptualising the educational materials, interactive activities and legal content specific to that area.

NUS students designed an interactive role-playing game on love scams that simulated conversations with a would-be scammer. Participants were invited to choose how they would respond at various stages of the interaction, with the outcome of the game differing based on their decisions. Through this scenario-based approach, the young people observed how seemingly harmless exchanges could escalate into a scam, and learnt to identify the warning signs.

Surmounting Challenges

Although the language barrier posed a challenge, each game booth was paired with a TU student who assisted with translation and facilitated discussions in Thai. Not only did this ensure that the key messages and legal recourse were communicated clearly, it also strengthened the collaborative spirit among the student facilitators.

NUS Law student Nathania Lim ’28 said, “The children made every effort to communicate with us, even when a translator was not present, often using hand gestures to bridge the gap.”

Reflecting on her own experience, Andrea Wee ’28 chimed in that the biggest learning point was figuring out how to improvise and adapt for effective communication. She added, “Coordinating with the Thai students for live translation during the games was a challenge, but once we managed to run the activities smoothly, interacting with the children became an incredibly heartwarming and rewarding experience.”

Learning Sessions

Back at Thammasat University after the activities, students shared insights into the projects of their pro bono clubs and relevant experiences in their respective countries, creating a space for mutual learning.

The strong cross border collaboration was also reflected in the line-up of speakers invited for the programme. For the first time, experts from all three countries shared their perspectives on scam regulation within their respective jurisdictions. Speakers from Malaysia and Singapore spoke via Zoom, allowing participants to gain an understanding of how different jurisdictions respond to scams.

Takeaways

 The 2026 edition of Thai‑ed with Love once again highlighted the power of collaboration, empathy, and cultural exchange in shaping future lawyers. Farah Ardini ’28 noted that it was a meaningful experience: “It was fascinating to see how our PBG equivalents operate. Learning about the different projects they run was truly inspirational, especially since they are so different from what we do at NUS.”

This sentiment was echoed by Yone Shou ’28: “Seeing like-minded students who want to achieve the same goals as us was unifying and broadened our perspective on how law students go about pro bono differently in each jurisdiction.”

Through hands-on activities, shared experiences, and meaningful interactions with local students, participants not only gained practical insights into pro bono work across different jurisdictions but also built lasting connections that transcend borders. Thai‑ed with Love continues to inspire and cultivate a generation of lawyers committed to service, understanding and global-mindedness.