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.

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