Facebook Marketplace ranks last on anti-scam rating system; accounts for nearly 50% of cases
Shopee, whose rating improved from three ticks to the full four ticks, has "implemented all the safety features deemed to be critical by MHA".
The Facebook logo is seen on a screen in this picture illustration taken on Dec 2, 2019. (File Photo: REUTERS/Johanna Geron)
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SINGAPORE: Facebook Marketplace was rated the lowest of six e-commerce platforms for its anti-scam measures to ensure the security of online transactions, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a press release on Wednesday (Apr 10).
The platform, which accounted for close to half of e-commerce scams in 2023, was awarded one tick for 2024, similar to the previous two years.
Meanwhile, Carousell was awarded two ticks while Amazon, Lazada, Qoo10 and Shopee received the highest rating of four ticks.
The findings were published in the 2024 e-commerce marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS), said MHA.
The ratings assigned to major e-commerce marketplaces are updated annually, it added.
First launched in May 2022, the TSR serves to provide consumers with information on the anti-scam measures implemented by major e-commerce platforms.
The overall safety rating assigned to each platform indicates the extent of their implemented measures to safeguard users against scams.
The four categories are user authenticity, transaction safety, availability of loss remediation channels for consumers, as well as the effectiveness of their anti-scam measures.
"E-commerce platforms with all the critical anti-scam measures in place and consequently experience a low number of scams on their platforms will be awarded the full four ticks," read the press release.
"Consumers should exercise greater caution when transacting on marketplaces without the recommended measures in place."
E-COMMERCE SCAMS
E-commerce scams remain one of the top scam types in Singapore, with 9,783 reported cases last year. This was double the number of cases in 2022, noted MHA.
"These scams generally involve the sale of goods and services online, which are not delivered after payment has been made," it said.
"Close to 50 per cent of e-commerce scams reported in 2023 were perpetrated on Facebook, where the number of cases surged to 4,550 from 1,138 in 2022."
In a parliament sitting in February, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling criticised Facebook's parent company Meta for its lack of cooperation with the Singapore government when it came to combatting scams.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will introduce offences to deter the misuse of local SIM cards for scams and other criminal activities. This is because more scammers are using such cards to make scam calls and send SMSes, bypassing the blocking of overseas numbers. The move was announced by Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 29). She added that the ScamShield app will be enhanced to improve the accuracy of scam SMS detection and allow users to more easily report scams. Meanwhile, a “one-stop portal” will be launched later this year, consolidating anti-scam resources for the public. There will be information on the latest scam trends, preventive measures to take and what people can do if they think they have been scammed. Ms Sun said the Government is studying additional measures “to better protect unwitting members of the public”, including those who refuse to believe they are being scammed. She also called out social media giant Meta for repeatedly refusing to have safeguards to tackle scams on its platforms. These include verifying users against Government-issued identification documents and offering a secured payment option for Facebook Marketplace users. And that is despite Facebook contributing close to half of the e-commerce scam cases last year. Other platforms such as Shopee and Carousell have worked with MHA and the police to strengthen their user verification processes. Ms Sun urged Meta “to step up, to do right by your users”.
Ms Sun said then that Meta "consistently pushed back" against MHA's recommendations to implement safeguards against scams on the platform.
In response, a Meta spokesperson said the company was "dismayed" by Ms Sun's statements and added the company was in "close consultations" with MHA and was "reviewing their suggestions seriously".
Facebook and Carousell are the only platforms in the TSR that have not implemented all the safety features.
Meanwhile, Shopee's received four ticks in 2024, up from three ticks in last year.
The platform, which made up only 1.1 per cent of e-commerce scams in 2023, has "implemented all the safety features deemed to be critical by MHA".
"In particular, Shopee has fully implemented user verification against government-issued documentation for all sellers", said MHA, similar to Amazon, Lazada and Qoo10.
The number of reported e-commerce scams on Shopee has reduced by 65 per cent, from 311 cases in 2022 to 109 cases in 2023.
User authentication such as verifying accounts and secure payment options like escrow, are deemed critical safeguards on e-commerce platforms.
These safety features have proven to be effective in combatting scams and platforms that implement these, have seen a "significant reduction" in cases.
MHA strongly urges all e-commerce marketplaces to put in place these features, to protect their users from scams, it said.
The Singapore Police Force has also been working with the platforms to co-locate their staff with the police at the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom).
"As of Jan 30 and Mar 20, Carousell and Shopee have started to physically co-locate their staff at the ASCom," said MHA.
Ms Sun, who is also Chairman of IMCS, on Wednesday thanked partners from the e-commerce industry for working together with IMCS on the TSR.
"In the fight against scams, partners are essential. The government cannot do this alone," she said.
"I urge all e-commerce marketplaces to implement the critical safety features, specifically user verification against government-issued documentation and secure payment options, to protect their online users from e-commerce scams."
