- Singapore’s directive to Meta under its Online Criminal Harms Act follows a near-tripling of impersonation scam cases and an 88 % rise in financial losses in H1 2025.
- The action is a component of a larger, multi-pillar strategy that also includes stronger sanctions for scam enablers, international collaboration, and AI-driven detection.
What happened: Singapore invokes new law to order Meta crackdown on Facebook impersonation scams
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs, invoking the first use of its Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), has ordered Meta to beef up defences on Facebook against advertisements, accounts and pages impersonating key government officials. The minister, Goh Pei-Ming, announced the directive on 3 September during the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 CNA.
The action responds to a dramatic spike in impersonation scams in the first half of 2025, which nearly tripled to 1,762 cases from 589 a year earlier. Losses soared by about 90% to S$126 million, meaning an average of S$72,000 lost per scam — potentially devastating for individual victims CNAReuters.
Non-compliance by Meta could trigger fines of up to S$1 million, the maximum under the legislation CNAReuters. This directive sits within Singapore’s four-pillar anti-scam strategy: pre-emptive prevention, detection and reporting, enforcement and public education, supplemented by new AI-powered tools for swift action CNA.
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Why it’s important
This is a pivotal moment: Singapore is no longer merely pressing for safer platforms but issuing a legally enforceable order to a global tech giant.
Firstly, it illustrates a model for proactive regulation under OCHA, raising the stakes for platform accountability. Secondly, it underscores that impersonation scams are evolving into complex, high-value crimes—not just petty fraud.
Thirdly, the directive dovetails with cross-border efforts, such as Project FRONTIER+, which recovered S$26 million via international cooperation CNA. It shows that Singapore is working to prevent frauds on several levels by integrating international partnerships, technology, and domestic law.
The wider implication is that governments are becoming more able and willing to force global internet companies to take action as frauds get more sophisticated and profitable, which will change the way that digital safety is regulated.
