3.6 million 'shell pages' created to scam users on Facebook & Instagram taken down with S'pore police intelligence

In July, Meta took down over 3.6 million shell pages on Facebook and Instagram that had been created by scammers to conduct scams on users, according to the Singapore Police Force (SPF). These shell pages, which do not display ads or violate content policies, can be easily activated for scam campaigns. Meta collaborated with the SPF, sharing information to identify and remove these pages before they could be used in scams.

The partnership between Meta and the SPF has been ongoing for the past two years, aimed at proactively identifying and removing scam content online. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Wong, commander of the SPF's Cyber Command, highlighted the importance of this collaboration in disrupting scam networks. In October 2025, information provided by Meta helped the SPF arrest seven men suspected of being involved in a transnational unlawful remote betting operation.

Between January and June 2026, Singapore police tip-offs led Meta to take action against thousands of entities and pages connected to investment and e-commerce scams on Facebook and Instagram. Over 113,000 entities were mainly related to investment scams, while more than 33,600 entities involved e-commerce scams. These scams often involved misleading pricing, fake promotional tactics, exaggerated product claims, and a sense of urgency and scarcity.

Meta has also been working with the SPF and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) on public education campaigns to protect Singaporeans from scams. The "One Step Ahead" campaign, launched in 2026, has reached 1.6 million people so far, encouraging the use of in-app security features like 2-FA and passkeys for enhanced account protection. WhatsApp users are advised to use the app's security features, such as Linked Device Notifications.