Meta risks fine in Singapore over Facebook impersonation scams

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is at risk of facing a fine of up to S$1 million (approximately $775,698) in Singapore, after the country’s police called on the company to introduce measures to address scams linked to advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages that impersonate government officials on the social platform, according to Reuters.

The media outlet noted that this is the first order issued under the country’s new Online Criminal Harms Act, which took effect in February 2024.

According to Singapore’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming, Facebook is the platform reporting the highest number of impersonation scams.

In response, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company has tools to identify impersonating accounts, including facial recognition technology, adding that it has made significant investments in enhancing the detection of such scams.

Statistics released in August indicate that government office holder impersonation scams reached 1,762 cases in the first six months of 2025, up nearly three times from 589 cases a year earlier. A total of S$126.5 million (about $98.2 million) was lost to this type of scam in the same period, an 88% increase compared with the S$67.2 million (approximately $52.1 million) lost a year ago.