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2h ago

Singapore Issues First Online Harms Order to Meta Over Facebook Impersonation Scams

Officials cite a sharp rise in government‑official impersonation scams driving heavy losses.

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Woman holds smartphone with Facebook logo in front of a displayed logo for Meta in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Singapore has seen a rise in scammers impersonating government officials and is ordering Facebook to help crack down
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Overview

  • The police ordered Meta to deploy measures against scam advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages impersonating key government office holders on Facebook, with noncompliance carrying fines of up to S$1 million.
  • Authorities said Facebook is the top platform used for these scams, which reached 1,762 cases in the first half of 2025 with S$126.5 million lost and about S$72,000 lost per victim on average.
  • This marks the first implementation directive issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act, which has been in force since February 2024.
  • TikTok was designated an online service from Sept 1 and must meet the Online Communication Services Code of Practice by Feb 28, 2026 or face enforcement including fines.
  • Singapore outlined a broader four‑pillar anti‑scam strategy, including AI tools to detect malicious sites, tougher sentences for money and Singpass mules, and Project FRONTIER+ operations that froze over 32,000 accounts and recovered about S$26 million.