Meta 'dismayed' by Singapore criticism over Facebook scams, says no one company can tackle them alone
Meta has "consistently pushed back" against Singapore's recommendations for safeguards against scams, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said on Thursday.
The Facebook logo is seen on a mobile phone on Oct 14, 2022, in Boston. (Photo: AP/Michael Dwyer)
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SINGAPORE: Scams are a “complex, industry-wide” threat that cannot be tackled by a single solution or company, Meta said on Friday (Mar 1) after being called out in Singapore's parliament for its lack of cooperation in dealing with the issue.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said on Thursday that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has "consistently pushed back" against the government's recommendations to put in place safeguards against scams.
These recommendations include verifying users against government-issued IDs and offering a secured payment option for Marketplace users.
"I urge Meta to step up, to do right by your users," Ms Sun said in parliament.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will introduce offences to deter the misuse of local SIM cards for scams and other criminal activities. This is because more scammers are using such cards to make scam calls and send SMSes, bypassing the blocking of overseas numbers. The move was announced by Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 29). She added that the ScamShield app will be enhanced to improve the accuracy of scam SMS detection and allow users to more easily report scams. Meanwhile, a “one-stop portal” will be launched later this year, consolidating anti-scam resources for the public. There will be information on the latest scam trends, preventive measures to take and what people can do if they think they have been scammed. Ms Sun said the Government is studying additional measures “to better protect unwitting members of the public”, including those who refuse to believe they are being scammed. She also called out social media giant Meta for repeatedly refusing to have safeguards to tackle scams on its platforms. These include verifying users against Government-issued identification documents and offering a secured payment option for Facebook Marketplace users. And that is despite Facebook contributing close to half of the e-commerce scam cases last year. Other platforms such as Shopee and Carousell have worked with MHA and the police to strengthen their user verification processes. Ms Sun urged Meta “to step up, to do right by your users”.
A Meta spokesperson said the company was “dismayed” by the statements in parliament, saying the tech giant has been in "close consultations" with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is "reviewing their suggestions seriously".
"This is on top of the years of consistent and close collaboration we have with the Singapore Police Force to tackle scams and our role as a Council Member of the National Crime Prevention Council," it added.
“However, scams are a complex, industry-wide threat, and we recognise that no single solution or company can tackle them alone.
"We are committed to continue working closely with government partners on consumer education campaigns and will continue to evolve our products and tools to help people better protect themselves against scams.”
A total of 9,783 e-commerce scams were reported in Singapore last year - more than double the 4,762 cases the year before - with victims losing a combined S$13.9 million (US$10.3 million). Close to half of the scams were on Facebook, said Ms Sun.
She also noted that Facebook Marketplace was ranked lowest in an anti-scam rating system for the second consecutive year.
As part of the E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR), popular e-commerce platforms are rated on their measures to safeguard users against scams.
Facebook has a safety rating of one tick, compared with platforms like Amazon, Lazada and Qoo10 which have the highest rating of four ticks.
Ms Sun said Facebook is the only platform in the TSR that has not implemented, or started to implement, recommended safety features.
Platforms like Shopee and Carousell, on the other hand, are working with MHA and the police to fight scams, she pointed out.
Meta said the company has “strict policies” that prohibit malicious activity and that the company enforces them through its “proactive review system”.
According to the terms and policies published on its website, commerce listings must not violate its community guidelines, which include ensuring the authenticity of content and protecting personal privacy.
Meta said on its website that failure to comply with its policies may result in consequences such as the removal of listings, content or termination of access to commerce features on its social media platforms.
