ASEAN Guide on Anti-Scam Policies and Best Practices

The ASEAN Guide on Anti-Scam Policies and Best Practices is a regional framework initiated by Singapore and endorsed at the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) on 16 January 2026. It is intended to help ASEAN Member States address cross-border telecommunications scams and strengthen trust in communications. MDDI describes it as the region’s first comprehensive framework of its kind; the guide recommends measures that governments, regulators and industry stakeholders can adopt domestically and in cooperation with one another (MDDI, 16 January 2026).

Scope of the guide

The ASEAN guide focuses on scams conducted through telephone calls and SMS. It is directed primarily at governments and telecommunications regulators in ASEAN Member States, and also at mobile-network operators, SMS aggregators and other relevant industry stakeholders. It does not cover every form of online fraud: the guide expressly excludes scam calls and messages made through social-media platforms and over-the-top applications such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Rich Communication Services (ASEAN, January 2026).

The telecommunications focus reflects the cross-border nature of scam traffic. A call or SMS can originate in one jurisdiction and reach a victim in another, while differences in national safeguards can be exploited by scam operators. The guide therefore combines domestic measures with coordination within industry, between industry and government, and across jurisdictions (ASEAN, January 2026; MDDI, 16 January 2026).

Recommended policy approach

The guide evaluates approaches used within and outside ASEAN before recommending best practices. Its recommendations cover both government-led and industry-led action, with an emphasis on cooperation and information sharing. MDDI describes the approach as tiered: ASEAN Member States can scale defences according to regulatory maturity and technical capability while working towards more consistent baseline measures across the region (ASEAN, January 2026; MDDI, 16 January 2026).

The guide is consequently a coordination and policy reference, not a Singapore statute or an automatically binding ASEAN regulation. Its recommendations still need to be implemented through each jurisdiction’s own laws, regulatory powers, industry arrangements and public-awareness measures. Endorsement at ADGMIN does not by itself create a single regional reporting channel, identical national thresholds or a private right for an individual to demand a particular telecom block (MDDI, 16 January 2026; ASEAN, January 2026).

Singapore’s contribution and domestic boundary

Singapore’s contribution is presented within its own multi-layered anti-scam approach, combining regulatory measures, industry action and public awareness. The regional guide allows Singapore’s experience to inform cooperation, but it does not replace Singapore’s domestic scam measures or determine every operational action by Singapore agencies and telecommunications operators (MDDI, 16 January 2026).

The guide should also be distinguished from the Enhanced ASEAN Guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables, which were endorsed at the same meeting but concern digital-infrastructure protection and repair coordination rather than scam calls and SMS. The two frameworks share a regional digital-resilience setting, but they address different risks, actors and implementation questions (MDDI, 16 January 2026; ASEAN).