New anti-scam laws target Carousell, TikTok account mules; online harms order fine up from $1m to $10m
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/new-anti-scam-laws-target-carousell-tiktok-account-mules-online-harms-order-fine-up-from-1m-to-10m?ref=singapore
Scams continue to be a problem in Singapore, making up three in five police reports in 2025. A total of $913.1 million was lost to scams in 2025. Scams have cost victims here more than $4 billion since 2019.
New anti-scam laws target Carousell, TikTok account mules; online harms order fine up from $1m to $10m
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The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill was read for the first time in Parliament on Aug 4.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – Newly proposed anti-scam laws will target online account mules, including those using Carousell, TikTok, Telegram and Meta’s platforms.
It will be an offence to provide one’s personal details for the creation of such accounts, and to supply or buy such accounts for crime.
The changes are part of the Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on Aug 4.
There are already laws in place targeting money mules and those who supply SIM cards and their Singpass accounts for scams.
But there are currently no offences that allow for the police to take action against those who supply online accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok and Carousell for scams.
If passed, the Bill will make it a crime to supply, receive, possess and provide personal information to create such accounts for criminal activity.
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If convicted, such online account mules face fines of up to $10,000, up to three years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.
The changes also target online service providers that do not comply with codes of practice and implementation directives, raising the maximum fine from $1 million to $10 million.
For a continuing offence, the daily fine will be raised from $100,000 to $300,000.
There were two implementation directives issued to Meta in September 2025 and January 2026, requiring it to implement anti-scam measures.
The police previously said the directives under the Online Criminal Harms Act have led to fewer impersonation scams on Facebook.
The number of government official impersonation scam cases more than doubled from 1,504 cases in 2024 to 3,363 in 2025. It was the fifth most common scam type in 2025.
Scams continue to be a problem in Singapore, making up three in five police reports in 2025. A total of $913.1 million was lost to scams in 2025. Scams have cost victims here more than $4 billion since 2019.
Using AI to fight scams
The police said scammers have been creating large numbers of scam sites, accounts and advertisements within a short period, making it difficult for manual review processes to keep up.
Many scam syndicates have been using artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations.
To tackle this, the Bill will allow anti-scam directions to be issued using a computer program.
Through computer programs, including those that make use of AI, such attempts can be more efficiently thwarted.
Safeguards will be in place to ensure the program is accurate and fair, added the police.
The Bill also introduces three new orders that the police can issue to service providers such as banks, telcos and online service providers to fight scams.
The first is a disclosure order that will compel a service provider to provide information relating to specified accounts and scam-related activities.
The second is an account disabling order, which will compel the service provider to disable specific accounts for up to 30 days, with a possible additional one-time extension of up to another 30 days.
These two orders are to facilitate information-sharing through the police’s National Scams List, which is being developed so information between the Government and its partners can be shared automatically and in real-time.
During the debate on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ budget in February, Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said information shared will include culprits’ identities, bank accounts, phone lines and online accounts.
This will allow stakeholders such as banks to stop the flow of scam monies and suspend accounts that may potentially be used for scams even before the money is moved.
The police added that the facility restriction framework has been rolled out since October 2025, with 1,423 money mules, 1,439 SIM card mules and 53 corporate mules placed under the framework as at June 30.
Under the framework, the mules may face restrictions on access to financial, telecommunications and Singpass services.
So far, compliance with the framework has generally been voluntary or implemented through sector-specific levers.
To strengthen this, the Bill introduces a third order, the service limitation order, that the police can issue to service providers to have them restrict the provision of services to a person for the purpose of countering scams.
The restrictions can last for up to three years.
Getting bank customers’ information
Another key aspect of the Bill relates to enhancing police operations.
The police have been issuing restriction orders to banks to restrict banking and credit facilities of stubborn scam victims. But the Banking Act has been preventing the banks from sharing customer information with the police.
The Bill will amend laws to allow the police to obtain the necessary information on the related persons, including joint account holders.
With the recent launch of the Cyber Command, the police intend to recruit civilians to fight cybercrime.
The Bill will amend laws to allow for civilian specialist officers, who will be provided with the necessary powers to search, arrest, seize and request documents.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the Bill will strengthen Singapore’s ability to detect scam activity earlier, disrupt scam operations more quickly, and hold accountable those who enable or facilitate scams.
It said: “Together with industry and community partners, the Government will continue to take firm, coordinated and proportionate action to protect the public and preserve trust in Singapore’s digital environment.”
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