Singapore proposes Asean initiatives to strengthen fight against scams

Singapore has proposed two initiatives to enhance the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)'s approach to combating online scams, as the nation prepares to chair the organization next year. Speaking on Tuesday, Singapore's senior minister K. Shanmugam announced the ideas during a written response to a parliamentary inquiry.

As the Asean Voluntary Lead Shepherd for cybercrime and online scams, Singapore introduced an Asean code of practice aimed at combating scams on digital platforms. This code would establish voluntary baseline safeguards for member states to adapt and apply in order to detect, prevent, and disrupt scams. The proposed safeguards include timely escalation of detected scam activities to relevant authorities and reasonable verification measures to prevent the use of fake accounts for fraudulent purposes.

In addition to the proposed code of practice, Shanmugam also announced that Singapore has proposed an Asean Best Practices Guide. This guide would cover scam investigations, legislation, and public education. The initiatives complement existing multilateral efforts such as FRONTIER+, a program suggested by the Singapore Police Force.

FRONTIER+ focuses on intelligence sharing, joint enforcement, and cross-border efforts to trace and freeze funds related to scams. Currently, six Asean members participate in FRONTIER+, according to Shanmugam.