Singapore Passes Anti-Scam Laws: Online Account Mules Face Jail

Singapore has passed sweeping new anti-scam legislation that directly targets online account mules — individuals who supply their social media, e-commerce or messaging accounts to criminal syndicates. The Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill, passed on 9 September 2026, makes it a criminal offence to provide personal details for the creation of scam accounts or to buy and sell such accounts, as reported by The Straits Times.

Scam victims in Singapore lost $410.6 million in the first half of 2026, with police receiving an average of 90 scam reports involving $2 million in daily losses.

The legislation introduces criminal penalties for anyone who supplies online accounts on platforms like Carousell, TikTok, Telegram and Meta's services to criminals. Convicted account mules face up to three years in jail, fines up to $10,000 and up to 12 strokes of the cane.

For online service providers, the maximum fine for non-compliance with anti-scam codes of practice has been raised from $1 million to $10 million, the highest fixed financial penalty in Singapore's statute book. The daily fine for a continuing offence also increased from $100,000 to $300,000.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming described the fight against scams as a top government priority, noting that the higher penalties are necessary to provide adequate deterrence against non-compliance by online platforms.

What happens if I sell my online account to a scammer in Singapore?

Under the new Scams (Countermeasures) Bill, convicted online account mules face up to three years in jail, a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 12 strokes of the cane.

Have the new laws reduced scams in Singapore?

Early results from related directives show government impersonation scams fell from 1,772 cases in H1 2025 to 1,363 cases in H1 2026 on Facebook, following implementation directives issued to Meta.