SINGAPORE: Those who supply online accounts on Carousell, TikTok, Telegram and Meta’s platforms to criminals will face potential jail time under new anti-scam laws.
The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill was passed on Wednesday (Sept 9), making it an offence to provide one’s personal details for the creation of such accounts, and to supply or buy such accounts for crime.
Convicted online account mules can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000 and given up to 12 strokes of the cane.
Similar laws targeting money mules and those who supply SIM cards and Singpass accounts for scams were already in place.
The new offences targeting online account mules builds on these efforts to fight scams, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The new laws also raise the maximum fine for online service providers that do not comply with codes of practice and implementation directives, from $1 million to $10 million.
This makes it the highest fixed quantum financial penalty in Singapore’s statute book, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming.
Calling the fight against scams a top priority of the Government, he said: “We do not take this decision lightly. But it is necessary to provide an adequate deterrent against non-compliance by online platforms, commensurate with the scale of the challenge we are facing, and the severity of harm that scams delivered through online platforms can cause.”
The daily fine for a continuing offence was also raised, from $100,000 to $300,000.
Two implementation directives were previously 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.
There were 1,363 government official impersonation scams in the first half of 2026, compared with the 1,772 cases during the same period in 2025.
Scam victims in Singapore lost $410.6 million in the first half of 2026.
In his opening speech, Goh said the police receive on average 90 reports of scams involving $2 million lost daily.
He added: “Scammers will continue to adapt, and so must we. Our response must be sustained, coordinated and always forward-looking.”
Scammers have been using artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations, creating large numbers of scam sites, accounts and advertisements within a short period.
The new laws allow the police to also use AI to fight scams.
The Bill introduced three new orders the police can issue to service providers such as banks, telcos and online service providers.
The first is a disclosure order, to make a service provider provide information on specified accounts and scam-related activities.
The second is an account disabling order, to make a service provider disable specific accounts for up to 30 days, with a possible additional one-time extension of up to another 30 days.
These orders relate to the police’s National Scams List, which shares information such as culprits’ identities, bank accounts, phone lines and online accounts with the Government and its partners.
This will allow potential scam accounts to be suspended even before money is moved.
The third new order is the service limitation order, that the police can issue to service providers to have them restrict the provision of services to a person for up to three years.
This is meant to prevent the person from accessing services and being exploited to facilitate scams.
Goh said: “Scams strike not only at individual victims, but at the very trust underpinning our digital economy and our way of life.”
A total of 14 MPs spoke during the debate on the Bill on Sept 8 and 9 that lasted over four hours.
Elysa Chen (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) said she supported the Bill because scams destroy lives.
She said: “Scams are an abhorrent, reprehensible, despicable crime. I hate how scammers prey on the vulnerable.
“They wipe out the retirement savings of hardworking Singaporeans. They go after the lonely. They exploit the decency that makes us who we are, our willingness to trust, to help, to believe. I hate how they come back like zombies.”
She spoke about how a senior in her constituency is now estranged from her daughter after having fallen prey to a love scam. And how a man who later died from a terminal illness had transferred large sums to a scammer, thinking he was investing money to leave more for his wife and children.
But while she and other MPs supported the purpose of the new laws, they were concerned about the vulnerable who may end up being caught in the same net meant for scammers.
Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik (Sengkang GRC) said his concern was how quickly accounts of innocent people can be unfrozen. He said this issue comes up at Meet-the-People Sessions.
He said the impact can be disproportionately high on lower-income earners, and can mean rent going unpaid and instalments being missed, stressing the family.
Goh said there will be avenues for appeals and recourse, and that more details, including the mechanism and timelines, will be shared before these new orders are operationalised.
He said: “No one wants to inadvertently affect or inconvenience persons who may not have been involved in scam activity. At the same time, disrupting scams quickly and decisively is essential.
“I wish to reassure the House that we will not prevent individuals from accessing funds they genuinely need for daily living.”
Goh said while Singapore has come some way in its fight against scams, there is still much to be done.
He said: “Government, industry and the public must stand together. When we do, scammers have fewer places to hide, fewer tools to exploit and fewer opportunities to cause harm.” - The Straits Times/ANN
