In brief
On 4 August 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) introduced the Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill ("Bill") for First Reading in Parliament. The Bill proposes amendments to, among other legislation, the Protection from Scams Act and the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), with the aim of strengthening Singapore's ability to detect, disrupt and deter scam-related activities. It would also introduce additional powers for law enforcement to obtain and facilitate the sharing of scam-related information, disable accounts suspected of facilitating scams, require a broad range of service providers (such as banks, telcos and online service providers) to restrict services to identified scam enablers, create new offences relating to the misuse of designated online accounts, and strengthen enforcement mechanisms under the OCHA.
The Bill is introduced also in the context of the OCHA office's subsequent issuance on 17 August 2026 of refreshed OCHA Codes of Practice applicable to messaging, social media, and e-commerce services.
These developments may be viewed as forming part of a broader trend towards increased online safety regulation in Singapore, as recent Parliamentary statements indicate that the Government is considering additional proactive safeguards relating to minors' access to social media and online games, and measures addressing AI-generated and digitally manipulated content.
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