Singapore Orders Meta to Combat Government Impersonation Scams on Facebook

Singaporean authorities are taking action against online scams, specifically those involving the impersonation of government officials on Facebook. Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming announced this initiative at an anti-scam event, as reported by local media.

The Singapore Police will issue a directive to Meta, the parent company of Facebook. This marks the first time an implementation directive will be issued to an online platform under the Online Criminal Harms Act, which was enacted in February 2024.

Meta will be legally obligated to address scam activities on its platform. This includes taking action against advertisements, accounts, profiles, and business pages that falsely represent key government officials. Non-compliance with the directive could lead to financial penalties.

The decision to issue this directive stems from the increasing prevalence of such scams. Facebook has been identified as the primary platform exploited by scammers. A mid-year police report revealed a significant rise in these types of scams. Reported cases nearly tripled, increasing by 199.2 percent to 1,762 in the first half of 2025, compared to 589 during the same period in 2024.