Introduction of E-Commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings and Revised Technical Reference 76 on E-Commerce Transactions

1.   To secure e-commerce marketplaces from scams, the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS) will launch the following two initiatives today:

(a) E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (“TSR”) to provide consumers with information on anti-scam measures that major e-commerce marketplaces have in place; and
(b) Revised Technical Reference 76 on Guidelines for Electronic Commerce Transactions (“TR 76”) to provide e-retailers and online intermediaries such as e-commerce marketplaces, with additional guidelines to better secure e-commerce transactions from scams.

E-Commerce Marketplace TSR

2.   The TSR informs consumers on the transaction safety of different e-commerce marketplaces, based on the range of anti-scam measures they have in place. It covers major e-commerce marketplaces that facilitate online transactions from multiple sellers to multiple buyers, with a significant local reach or a significant number of e-commerce scams reported. The TSR microsite can be found at the following link: E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings.

3.   Major e-commerce marketplaces have been assigned an overall safety rating. The rating indicates the extent to which they have implemented anti-scam measures that ensure (a) user authenticity, (b) transaction safety and (c) availability of loss remediation channels for consumers, as well as (d) the effectiveness of their anti-scam measures. The ratings range from one to four ticks, with four ticks being the highest and best rating. E-commerce marketplaces with all the critical anti-scam measures in place will be awarded the full four-ticks. These ratings will be reviewed annually. Further details are in Annex A .

4.   The TSR was developed in partnership with the following major e-commerce marketplaces, which have been rated as follows:

Table 1: E-Commerce Marketplace TSR

5.   Consumers can also refer to the TSR microsite for advisories on safety features to look out for, and specific features provided by each e-commerce marketplace. The TSR microsite aims to raise consumer awareness on features that keep e-commerce transactions safe and encourage the use of safety features and good practices when transacting online.

Revised TR 76

6.   TR 76, the national standard for e-commerce transactions, has been revised to include additional anti-scam guidelines for e-retailers and e-commerce marketplaces, to offer better protection for consumers transacting online. ^[1] The revised TR76 is developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group appointed by the Singapore Standards Council, overseen by Enterprise Singapore. ^[2]

7.   The additional anti-scam guidelines will set out best practices for e-retailers and e-commerce marketplaces. These best practices secure different areas of transactions, covering pre-, during- and post-purchase activities, customer support and merchant verification. The intent is to better enable merchant authenticity, improve transaction security and aid enforcement against e-commerce scams. The additional guidelines in TR76 are part of the safety features rated in the TSR. Generally, e-commerce marketplaces that adopt TR76 guidelines would score better on the TSR. Further details are in Annex B .

Feedback from the E-commerce Industry

8.   E-commerce industry stakeholders have been instrumental to the development of the TSR and the revised TR 76. Feedback from the e-commerce industry on the TSR and the revised TR 76 has been very positive so far.

9.   Mr Desmond Tan, Chairman of the Inter-Ministry Committee of Scams and Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, said: “Adoption of anti-scam measures in the revised TR 76 guidelines by e-commerce retailers and e-commerce marketplaces will better secure e-commerce transactions and protect our consumers from e-commerce scams. The E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings build on these guidelines, by raising consumer awareness on the anti-scam measures on major e-commerce marketplaces in Singapore. MHA would like to thank our partners from the e-commerce industry for working with us on these initiatives to combat e-commerce scams.”

10.   Ms Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General (Quality & Excellence), Enterprise Singapore, said: “We are encouraged by the strong support and commitment of the Working Group members, including MHA, Singapore Retailers Association, the Consumers Association of Singapore and e-commerce industry stakeholders, who have come together with Singapore Standards Council to develop new anti-scam guidelines under the revised TR 76. The guidelines cover the end-to-end process of e-commerce transactions, and we hope they will help e-retailers and e-marketplaces improve their transaction traceability and transaction security for consumers. We look forward to working with our partners to promote wider adoption of this standard in the industry.”

11.   The TR 76 is available for viewing at the following link: https://www.singaporestandardseshop.sg/Covid19/Desktop. A PDF copy may also be purchased at the Singapore Standards eShop. New and existing e-retailers as well as e-marketplaces can refer to the guidelines in the TR 76 to secure themselves against scams.

Ministry of Home Affairs
Singapore Standards Council

[1] First published in 2020, TR 76 equips e-commerce businesses with industry best practices on key activities relating to online transactions.

[2] The Working Group consisted representatives from the following organisations who contributed in their individual capacity: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Carousell Pte Ltd, Consumers Association of Singapore, Facebook Singapore Pte Ltd, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Lazada Singapore Pte Ltd, Lee & Lee, Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte Ltd, Ministry of Home Affairs, Pick Network Pte Ltd, RSM Risk Advisory Pte Ltd, Shopee Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore Institute of Retail Studies, Singapore Retailers Association, Smart Media4u Technology Pte Ltd and Temasek Polytechnic.

Annex A - Factsheet on the E-Commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (PDF, 420KB)
Annex B - Factsheet on Revised Technical Reference 76 (PDF, 140KB)