TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok will be required to verify the identities of advertisers and block advertisements from unlicensed financial services firms under new anti-scam rules in Singapore.
As reported by The Straits Times, the three social media platforms must comply with the requirements by January 31, 2027, under a new Code of Practice for Social Media Services announced by Singapore police on August 18.
Platforms that fail to comply could face criminal penalties under the Online Criminal Harms Act, including fines of up to S$1 million. Online services that remain non-compliant after conviction may also be fined up to S$100,000 for each day of continued non-compliance.
According to Singapore police, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounted for about 30 percent of all scam cases in the country in 2025. Facebook alone accounted for about 18 percent.
The police said social media platforms pose the “highest scam risk to users in Singapore,” highlighting the use of advertisements to target potential victims.
Because platforms profit from advertisements published on their services, the police said they must take steps to ensure that advertisements do not facilitate criminal activity.
Social Media Platforms Face Stricter Advertisement Rules
Under the new code, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok must verify advertisers' identities against government-issued records.
They must also prevent advertisements from financial services firms that are not licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore from appearing on their platforms.
Platforms will be required to screen advertisements for signs that they may be linked to scams, including masked URL links that conceal the destination of a link or direct users to suspicious content.
Suspected scam advertisements that are accessible on the platforms, including those reported by users, must also be removed promptly.
The new Social Media Code builds on existing codes introduced under the Online Criminal Harms Act for online communication and e-commerce services.
The measures come as scammers continue to adapt their methods and exploit new technologies and platform features, including messaging applications, online advertisements, and video conferencing services.
The Straits Times reported that scam cases on online services fell 37 percent in 2025 from the previous year after earlier codes came into effect on June 26, 2024. However, Singapore police said scammers have continued to find new ways to exploit online platforms.
A recent survey by Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information found that 84 percent of residents had encountered harmful content online. Content associated with illegal activities, including scams, was the most commonly encountered type.
WhatsApp, Telegram Among Messaging Services Targeted
Singapore is also introducing a separate Code of Practice for Online Messaging and Conferencing Services, targeting platforms considered to pose the highest scam risks.
The code covers WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Apple iMessage, Apple FaceTime, Google Messages, and Google Meet.
These services must introduce measures by January 31, 2027, to make it harder for unknown contacts to engage users or to alert users when an unfamiliar contact could pose a scam risk.
For example, users must consent before an unknown contact can add them to a chat group or channel.
Messaging services must also provide warnings when users receive messages or calls from unknown or suspicious accounts. Such alerts could include information about when and in which country an unknown account was created.
Users must also be given options to silence, filter, or block messages and calls from people who are not on their contact lists.
The police said the measures are aimed in part at investment scams, in which fraudsters approach victims from previously unknown accounts and offer supposedly lucrative investment opportunities.
Government impersonation scams are another concern. About 18 percent of such scam cases in Singapore in 2025 took place on WhatsApp, according to the police.
Scammers have also impersonated police officers and other officials on messaging and conferencing platforms to conduct phishing scams.
Under the new rules, messaging services must implement measures to prevent scammers from using profile names or pictures to impersonate the Singapore government.
Because of the urgency of tackling government impersonation scams, those anti-spoofing measures must be implemented by September 30, 2026.
E-Commerce Platforms Also Face Tougher Rules
Singapore has also updated its existing Code of Practice for e-Commerce Services, which applies to platforms including Carousell, Facebook Marketplace, and Facebook Business Pages.
By January 31, 2027, these services must introduce stronger safeguards before allowing logins from new or unrecognized devices.
The enhanced e-commerce code also incorporates the advertisement safeguards introduced under the new Social Media Code, aimed at preventing users from being targeted by fraudulent online advertisements.
Associate Professor Hannah Yee-Fen Lim, a legal expert at Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School, described the measures as an important step toward protecting consumers from online scams and fraud.
“There are too many ‘get rich quick’ investment scams on social media and too many scammers have used social media to target unsuspecting victims,” Lim said, according to The Straits Times.
She added that measures making it harder for unknown contacts to approach users could provide significant protection against online fraud.
Singapore police said the new codes were developed after its Online Criminal Harms Act Office engaged online services over the risks posed by scams and other online harms.
The expanded rules reflect Singapore's broader effort to shift greater responsibility onto online platforms to detect, prevent, and remove content and interactions that could facilitate scams.
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