Singapore Issues Meta a S$1 Million Penalty Warning due to Increased Facebook Identity Fraud
In the first half of 2025, online platforms, including Facebook, have become the primary vectors for scammers, accounting for 82 percent of cases, according to recent reports. Despite this increase, total losses from scams have decreased by 13 percent, and overall scam cases have fallen by 26 percent.
The police have been active in combating these online crimes, disrupting more than 21,000 online monikers and advertisements over the same period. The efforts have been successful, with more than 500 scammers and money mules being charged. Of the 230 money mules prosecuted between August 2024 and March 2025, all adult offenders received at least six months in prison.
One significant operation, Project FRONTIER+, resulted in the freezing of more than 32,000 bank accounts and the recovery of about S$26 million between May and June this year.
The Singaporean government has taken notice of these trends and has ordered Meta, the company behind Facebook, to strengthen its measures against scams. Facebook is the top platform used in impersonation scams in Singapore, making it a key focus for these new measures.
The Information Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore is designated as an online service provider from September 1, 2025, and must comply with the Online Communications Services Directive by February 28, 2026. Non-compliance with these new measures could result in fines of up to S$1 million for Meta.
TikTok has also been designated as a designated online service, effective from 1 September 2025. The platform must comply with the Online Communication Services Code of Practice by 28 February 2026.
To help combat these scams, the police will issue an implementation directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) for the first time. This directive requires Meta to address scam advertisements, accounts, profiles, and business pages that impersonate key government officials on Facebook.
The ScamShield app, developed by the IMDA, has more than 1.3 million downloads and is a valuable tool for Singaporeans in identifying and avoiding potential scams.
In addition to these measures, artificial intelligence is being used to detect and take down malicious websites. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to make Singapore a less attractive target for scammers.
Despite these efforts, scam cases in Singapore have seen a significant increase, rising by about 200 percent in the first half of 2025, reaching more than 1,760. However, the total losses from these scams have decreased, with Singaporeans losing about S$456 million in the first half of 2025, around S$66 million less than a year earlier.
The decrease in losses per case, with the average loss per case being roughly S$72,000, suggests that these new measures are having a positive impact. As the fight against online scams continues, it is expected that these trends will continue to evolve, and the relevant authorities will adapt their strategies accordingly.
