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Singapore Orders Meta to Combat Scams on Facebook Impersonatingโ Government Officials
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By Lucas Fernandez, โคWorld-Today-News.com
Singaporean โฃauthoritiesโ are taking โdecisive action against online scams, issuing a formal directiveโข to Meta – the parent company of Facebook – โtoโ aggressively combat fraudulentโ activity โขinvolving the impersonation of โgovernment officials. The announcement, made by Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming at an anti-scamโข event, marks a notable โขescalation in the country’s โefforts to protect citizens from โขincreasingly refined online fraud.
First Directive Under new Legislation
This directive represents the first implementation under Singapore’s Online Criminal Harms act, which came into โeffect in February 2024. The Act provides aโ legal frameworkโค for addressing harmfulโ online content, including scams and other criminal activities.
What Meta Must Do
Under โฃthe directive,โฃ Meta isโ obligatedโฃ toโฃ take concrete steps to remove scam advertisements, fake accounts, fraudulent profiles, andโ deceptive business pages that mimic โขkey government โofficeholders on Facebook.Failure to comply โwith the directive could result in substantial financial penaltiesโฃ for theโฃ tech giant.
Surge in Impersonation Scams
Theโ directive comesโค in response toโ a dramatic increase in โฃscams involving the impersonation of government officials. A mid-yearโค police report revealed a โขnearly threefold rise in reported cases,jumpingโฃ 199.2% from 589 cases in the first half ofโ 2024 to 1,762โค cases in the sameโค period โof 2025. This alarming trend underscores the urgency ofโ the situation and theโฃ need for proactive measures.
Minister Goh โคPeiโ Ming emphasized thatโค Facebook remains โthe primary platformโ exploited by scammers, making โฃMeta a crucial partner in combating this growing threat.
Context and Future Trends
Singapore’s proactive approach to online scamโค regulation reflects a broader global trend of governments seeking to hold social โmediaโ platforms accountable for the content hosted on their sites. The increasing โsophistication of scammers, utilizing techniques like deepfakes โฃand AI-powered impersonation, presentsโ an โongoing challenge. โฃ Expect to see further legislative efforts and technological innovations aimed at mitigating these risks in the coming years. The โfocus โฃwillโ likely shift towards preventative measures, includingโ enhanced user educationโข andโ improved platform verification processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Online Criminal โคHarms Act?
- the Online Criminal Harms Act is aโ Singaporean lawโข enacted in February 2024 to combat harmful online content, includingโ scams, terrorism, โand other โcriminalโ activities.
- Why โis Metaโ being targeted?
- Meta (Facebook)โค is theโ platform most frequently used byโค scammersโข to carry out impersonation scams targeting Singaporean citizens, according to police reports.
- What will โhappen if Meta doesn’t comply?
- Meta faces potentialโฃ financialโ penalties for non-compliance โฃwith the directive โissued by Singaporeanโฃ police.
- What kind of scamsโ are we talking about?
- The scams โคinvolve criminals impersonating government officials on Facebook to defraud individuals. These cases have nearly tripled in the first half of 2025.
- How significant is the increaseโ in these โscams?
- Reportedโ cases of impersonation scams surged by 199.2%, rising from 589 cases in theโ first half of โ2024 โto 1,762 cases in the first half of 2025.
- Is this โdirectiveโข limited to Facebook?
- Currently,โข theโข directive specifically targetsโ Facebook. However, the Online Criminal โHarms Act allows for similar directives to be issued to other online platforms โif necessary.