Singapore to order Meta to curb Facebook impersonation scams in first such directive

SINGAPORE: Singapore will require Meta to implement measures addressing government official impersonation scams (GOIS) on Facebook in a first such directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said on Wednesday (Sep 3).

He announced this on the second day of the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025, held in Singapore by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), an international non-profit aimed at protecting consumers worldwide from scams and online fraud.

Meta will be required to put in place measures to address scam advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages impersonating key government office holders on Facebook as part of enhanced measures by the government against such scams. 

“We are issuing it to Meta because Facebook is the top platform used by scammers for such impersonation scams, and the police has assessed that more decisive action is required to curb these scams,” Mr Goh said. 

The move came as GOIS scams surged by about 200 per cent year-on-year in the first half of this year to more than 1,760 cases. 

Losses from such scams also rose by 90 per cent to about S$126 million (US$97 million). On average, each GOIS scam resulted in a loss of about S$72,000.

“For some victims, this could be their life savings, and fundamentally cripple their retirement plans,” Mr Goh said. 

Failure by Meta to comply with the directive may result in "stiff penalties" of up to S$1 million in fines, he said.

“We will continue to work closely with Meta to fight GOIS as part of the wider range of ongoing collaboration with MHA and police on other anti-scam initiatives,” Mr Goh added. 

The directive is part of Singapore’s anti-scam strategy, comprising four pillars – pre-emptive prevention and blocking, reporting and detection, firm action against scammers and public education. 

Under the first pillar, the government will also continue to review the adequacy of anti-scam requirements imposed on online platforms, he added.

Mr Goh also noted that the number of scam cases on TikTok rose by 240 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year.

The platform has been designated by the police as a designated online service with effect from Sep 1, Mr Goh said. 

This means the social media platform will need to comply with the Online Communication Services Code of Practice by Feb 28, 2026. TikTok will be required to implement the appropriate systems, processes and measures to proactively disrupt scams.

"WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY APPROACH"

Dealing with a threat like scams requires a whole-of-society approach, Mr Goh said.

For example, the government has introduced an AI-powered classifier to analyse, detect and disrupt malicious scam websites as part of its investment into artificial intelligence to scale up and expedite Singapore’s scam intervention capabilities. 

“This reduces the need to manually sieve through copious amounts of information, allowing swifter intervention to take down scam websites,” Mr Goh said. 

Firm action is also taken against scammers, with penalties now applying to money and Singpass mules after sentencing guidelines recommending custodial sentences were introduced for such offenders, he added. 

Of the 230 money mules charged between August 2024 and March 2025, all adult offenders were sentenced to at least six months' jail. 

“So the message is clear – if you enable scams, even indirectly, you will be taken to task, and you will face the full force of the law,” Mr Goh said. 

Public education, such as through the Add, Check and Tell campaign and Hack for Good programme, has helped curb scams, he added. 

Scam numbers fell by 26 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago. Scam losses also decreased by 13 per cent in that period. 

Nevertheless, Mr Goh warned that scammers will continue to pivot and attempt to evade anti-scam measures. 

“They are constantly finding new loopholes to exploit. And so we too must continue to pivot, think ahead, and act pre-emptively to stop scams from materialising,” he said.

“Government, the private sector and the public must all work hand-in-glove.”

Private entities such as financial institutions, telecommunication companies and online platforms also play a crucial role in denying scammers the tools required for scams, Mr Goh said.

He noted that the Association of Banks Standing Committee on Fraud, comprising the major banks in Singapore, proactively coordinates the implementation of anti-scam safeguards to protect banking customers.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Beyond domestic initiatives, international collaboration is also a cornerstone of Singapore’s war on scams, Mr Goh said. 

For example, Project FRONTIER+ was launched in October 2024 to link up anti-scam outfits from different countries to share real-time information and coordinate joint operations. 

“This improves cross-border asset recovery and reduces the profitability of the scam business,” Mr Goh said. 

The project’s jurisdictions conducted a cross-border operation between May and June 2025 to freeze more than 32,000 bank accounts and recovered about S$26 million. 

Singapore also urges other countries to set up their own central anti-scam units – only then will the full value of Singapore’s anti-scam command be fully materialised when it can coordinate efficiently across borders, Mr Goh said.

“Singapore is a very attractive scam target. The median wealth of adults in Singapore is higher than the global median, making us a lucrative target,” Mr Goh said. 

Singapore’s high levels of digital penetration and access to the internet, as well as being a high trust society, makes it easier for scammers to reach out to potential victims and succeed in their deception, he added. 

“Scammers these days run a highly professional and sophisticated criminal enterprise,” Mr Goh said.

“As scam defenders, we must change their calculus, and similarly find the fastest, most effective and most innovative ways to counter their advances.”