Singapore orders Meta to curb Facebook scams or face S$1m fines

Singapore is stepping up its war on scams, with the government issuing its first-ever implementation directive to Meta to curb scam advertisements and impersonation accounts on Facebook.

Speaking at the Global Anti-Scam summit, Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development said that the directive requires Meta to implement stronger safeguards against scam ads, fake accounts, business pages and profiles impersonating government officials. Failure to comply could see penalties of up to S$1 million.

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“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,” Goh said, adding that the government will continue working with Meta on wider anti-scam initiatives.

The move comes amid a sharp surge in government official impersonation scams (GOIS). In the first half of 2025, cases rose 200% year-on-year to more than 1,760, with total losses hitting S$126 million – an average of S$72,000 per case.

Goh stressed that Singapore’s wealth, high internet penetration, and strong trust in government institutions make the nation an attractive target for scammers. In the first half of this year, 82% of scams involved online platforms.

TikTok has also come under the spotlight, with scam cases on the platform spiking 240% in 2024 compared to 2023.

From 1 September 2025, TikTok has been designated as an online service under the Online communication services code of practice, requiring it to implement scam-prevention measures by 28 February 2026.

“We will continue to review the adequacy of the anti-scam requirements imposed on online platforms,” Goh said.

“The losses from scams are not just financial. For some victims, this could be their life savings and fundamentally cripple their life plans," he added.

At the same time, Meta has been rolling out its own efforts to combat scams in Singapore. The company has partnered with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, and educational platform EYEYAH! on a social campaign and interactive online experience designed to raise awareness of common scam traps.

Part of a wider APAC initiative spanning over 15 countries, the campaign highlights seven prevalent scam types in Singapore including romance, shopping, impersonation, investment, job, account hacking, and messaging scams. The online experience, created by EYEYAH!, uses games to train players to spot scam trigger words and red flags.

Meta is also promoting eight practical tips to help users strengthen their defences, such as staying informed via trusted sources such as ScamShield and SPF, slowing down before responding to urgent requests, blocking and reporting suspicious offers, enabling two-factor authentication, and reporting impersonation attempts across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Separately, Meta is also tightening its advertising safeguards. As of June this year, all advertisers on Facebook are now required to verify their identities against government-issued records. The move followed a 12% increase in scam reports linked to Facebook ads between June and December last year.

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