Online account mules face jail under new anti-scam laws; online harms order fine up from $1m to $10m

Published Sep 09, 2026, 02:38 PM

Updated Sep 09, 2026, 02:38 PM

New laws in Singapore make supplying online accounts for scams illegal, with up to three years' jail, fines, and caning for offenders.

Fines for online platforms not following anti-scam rules have increased to $10 million, the highest in Singapore.

Police can now use AI to issue orders to disable scam accounts and restrict services, helping to prevent scams before money is lost.

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 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 $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 to 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 said: “Scammers will continue to adapt, and so must we. Our response must be sustained, coordinated and always forward-looking.”

Blocking scammers’ money flows

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.”

‘Scammers are like zombies’

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 Muhamin 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.”

David Sun is The Straits Times’ crime correspondent. He has a background in criminology and is a licensed private investigator.

Singapore Parliament

Internet crimes and scams

Ministry of Home Affairs

发布于 2026 年 9 月 9 日下午 2:38

更新于2026年9月9日下午2:38

新加坡新法律规定，提供用于诈骗的在线账户属于违法行为，违者最高可判处三年监禁、罚款和鞭刑。

新加坡对不遵守反诈骗规定的网络平台处以最高罚款，金额已增至 1000 万美元。

警方现在可以利用人工智能技术下令禁用诈骗账户并限制其服务，从而在金钱损失之前帮助阻止诈骗。

新加坡——根据新的反诈骗法，那些向犯罪分子提供 Carousell、TikTok、Telegram 和 Meta 等平台上的在线账户的人将面临牢狱之灾。

《诈骗（对策）及其他事项法案》于9月9日获得通过，该法案规定，提供个人信息以创建此类账户，以及为犯罪目的提供或购买此类账户均属违法行为。

被定罪的网络洗钱者可被判处最高三年监禁、最高 10,000 美元罚款，以及最高 12 下鞭刑。

针对洗钱者以及为诈骗活动提供 SIM 卡和 Singpass 账户的人的类似法律已经存在。

内政部表示，针对网络账户骡子的新罪行是在这些打击诈骗的努力基础上制定的。

新法律还将不遵守行为准则和实施指令的在线服务提供商的最高罚款从 100 万美元提高到 1000 万美元。

内政部高级政务部长吴佩铭表示，这使其成为新加坡法律中最高的固定金额罚款。

他称打击诈骗是政府的首要任务，并表示：“我们不会轻易做出这个决定。但为了对网络平台的不合规行为提供足够的威慑，以应对我们面临的挑战的规模，以及通过网络平台进行的诈骗可能造成的严重危害，这是必要的。”

对于持续违法行为，每日罚款金额也从 10 万美元提高到 30 万美元。

此前，Meta 分别于 2025 年 9 月和 2026 年 1 月收到两份实施指令，要求其实施反诈骗措施。

警方此前表示，根据《网络犯罪危害法》制定的指令已导致 Facebook 上的身份冒用诈骗案件减少。

2026 年上半年共发生 1363 起政府官员冒充诈骗案，而 2025 年同期则发生 1772 起。

2026年上半年，新加坡诈骗受害者损失了4.106亿美元。

吴先生在开幕致辞中表示，警方平均每天接到 90 起诈骗报案，涉及金额高达 200 万美元。

他说：“诈骗分子会不断变换伎俩，我们也必须如此。我们的应对措施必须持续、协调，并且始终着眼于未来。”

阻止诈骗者的资金流动

诈骗分子一直在利用人工智能（AI）进行诈骗活动，在短时间内创建大量诈骗网站、账户和广告。

新法律允许警方利用人工智能打击诈骗。

该法案引入了三项新的命令，警方可以向银行、电信公司和在线服务提供商等服务提供商发出此类命令。

第一项是信息披露令，要求服务提供商提供有关指定账户和诈骗相关活动的信息。

第二项是账户禁用令，要求服务提供商禁用特定账户最多 30 天，并可额外一次性延长最多 30 天。

这些命令与警方的全国诈骗名单有关，该名单会与政府及其合作伙伴共享罪犯的身份、银行账户、电话线路和在线账户等信息。

这样一来，即使在资金转移之前，潜在的诈骗账户也能被冻结。

第三项新命令是服务限制令，警方可以向服务提供商发出该命令，限制其向某人提供服务，期限最长可达三年。

这样做是为了防止该人员获取服务并被他人利用来实施诈骗。

吴先生表示：“诈骗不仅打击个人受害者，也打击支撑我们数字经济和生活方式的信任。”

“骗子就像僵尸一样”

在9月8日和9日举行的法案辩论中，共有14名议员发言，辩论持续了四个多小时。

陈怡伶（碧山-大巴窑集选区）表示，她支持该法案，因为诈骗会毁掉人们的生活。

她说：“诈骗是一种令人憎恶、应受谴责、卑鄙的犯罪行为。我痛恨骗子们欺骗弱势群体。”

“他们榨干了辛勤工作的新加坡人的退休积蓄。他们专门盯上孤独的人。他们利用我们善良的本性，利用我们乐于信任、乐于助人、相信他人的天性。我恨他们像行尸走肉一样卷土重来。”

她讲述了她选区一位老人因遭遇爱情骗局而与女儿疏远的故事。她还讲述了一位后来因绝症去世的男子，他曾将大笔钱转给骗子，以为自己是在投资，想给妻子和孩子留下更多遗产。

虽然她和其他议员支持新法律的目的，但他们担心弱势群体最终可能会落入原本是针对诈骗犯的同一张网中。

阿卜杜勒·穆哈明·阿卜杜勒·马利克（盛港集选区）表示，他关注的是无辜者的账户能否迅速解冻。他说，这个问题在选民见面会上经常被提及。

他表示，这种影响对低收入者来说可能尤为严重，可能导致房租无法支付、分期付款无法按时完成，给家庭带来压力。

吴先生表示，将会有上诉和申诉的途径，更多细节，包括机制和时间表，将在这些新命令生效之前公布。

他说：“没有人希望无意中影响或给那些可能并未参与诈骗活动的人带来不便。与此同时，迅速果断地打击诈骗活动至关重要。”

“我想向议会保证，我们不会阻止个人获得他们日常生活真正需要的资金。”

吴先生表示，虽然新加坡在打击诈骗方面取得了一些进展，但仍有很多工作要做。

他说：“政府、企业和公众必须团结一致。当我们这样做时，诈骗分子就更难藏身，更难利用各种手段，也更难作恶。”

大卫·孙是《海峡时报》的犯罪记者。他拥有犯罪学背景，并且是一名持证私人侦探。

新加坡国会

网络犯罪和诈骗

内政部