Are your go-to online marketplaces safe enough?

In 2023, Singapore reported 9,783 e-commerce scam cases.

Half of e-commerce scams in Singapore last year occurred on Facebook, with cases jumping from 1,138 in 2022 to 4,550.

With its number of cases, the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS) has given the Facebook marketplace a safety rating level of 1.

"The overall safety rating assigned to each marketplace indicates the extent to which they have implemented measures that are critical to guard against scams," the IMCS explained.

IMCS rates e-commerce marketplaces based on user authenticity, transaction safety, loss remediation experience for consumers, and effectiveness of anti-scam efforts.

The highest rating an e-commerce marketplace can get is four, whilst one is the lowest.

Also lagging in scam safety is Carousell, which ranked behind Facebook.

The secondhand e-commerce marketplace saw 2,476 scam incidences, accounting for 25.3% of the total recorded in 2023.

IMCS gave Carousell a safety rating of 2.

Occupying the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place are social media platforms, Telegram, X, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

The platforms reported 787, 299, 243, and 230 scams, respectively.

Meanwhile, giant e-commerce marketplaces like Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon all received a safety rating of four.

"Shopee’s rating has improved from three ticks to the full four ticks. Shopee has implemented all the safety features deemed to be critical by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)," the IMCS said.

"Shopee has fully implemented user verification against Government-issued documentation for all sellers," the committee added.

In 2024, Shopee recorded 109 scams or 1.1% of the 2023 record.

Lazada, Amazon, and Qoo10 recorded 25 (0.3%), 2 (0%), and 1 (0%) incidences of scam.

Follow the link s for more news on

Carousell

Lazada

Shopee

e-commerce

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia