Singapore proposes ASEAN initiatives to strengthen fight against scams

Tourists take souvenir photos at Merlion Park, a famous Singapore landmark and major tourist attraction, May 2, 2025. (PHOTO/AP) SINGAPORE — Singapore has proposed two initiatives to strengthen ASEAN's response to online scams as it assumes ASEAN's chairmanship next year, Singapore's Senior Minister K. Shanmugam said on Tuesday. As the ASEAN Voluntary Lead Shepherd for Cybercrime and Online Scams, Singapore proposed an ASEAN Code of Practice to Combat Scams on Online Platforms, which would establish voluntary baseline safeguards that member states can adapt and apply to online platforms to detect, prevent and disrupt scams, he said in a written reply to a parliamentary question. The proposed safeguards include timely escalation of detected scam activity to relevant authorities and reasonable verification measures to prevent inauthentic accounts from being used for scams. ALSO READ: Singapore refers eight to police after home buying review Singapore also proposed an ASEAN Best Practices Guide covering scam investigations, legislation and public education, Shanmugam said. The initiatives complement multilateral efforts such as "FRONTIER+," which was mooted by the Singapore Police Force and supports intelligence sharing, joint enforcement and cross-border fund tracing and asset freezing. Six ASEAN members currently participate in FRONTIER+, added Shanmugam.