SINGAPORE - Singaporean police will issue a directive to tech company Meta, which operates Facebook, to combat scams such as those involving impersonation of government officials, Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming announced Wednesday at an anti-scam event, according to local media.

It will be the first implementation directive issued to an online platform under the Online Criminal Harms Act, which came into force in February 2024.

Meta will be required to take action against scam advertisements, accounts, profiles, and business pages impersonating key government officeholders on Facebook. Failure to comply may result in financial penalties.

Citing the surge in such scams, Goh said the measure was necessary because Facebook remains the top platform exploited by scammers.

According to a mid-year police report, scams involving impersonation of government officials remain a serious concern. Reported cases nearly tripled, surging by 199.2 percent to 1,762 in the first half of 2025, up from 589 in the same period of 2024.