Mr Tan chairs the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams, which rates these platforms based on five measures: seller identity verification, fraudulent seller behaviour monitoring, secure payment solutions, maintenance of transaction records and user data, as well as reporting and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Consumers can visit this microsite to see how the platforms perform in each measure. MHA said platforms with all the critical anti-scam measures in place will be awarded four ticks and will be reviewed annually.
Carousell makes these features optional, while Facebook Marketplace does not offer secure payment solutions or seller identity verification.
The ratings system, first announced during the police's annual statistics briefing this year, came after S $5.8 million was lost to e-commerce scams in 2021.
The 2,707 e-commerce scam cases reported last year made it the third-most common type of scam, behind phishing scams and job scams.
The ratings system was developed along with the six e-commerce platforms, and covers major platforms with a significant local reach or a significant number of e-commerce scams reported, MHA said.
It does not cover businesses that have their own e-commerce platforms, like Courts or IKEA, as they have been assessed to be less susceptible to scams.
Consumers can refer to the microsite for general advisories that elaborate on the five safety features. The advisories will be refreshed every year.
The platforms have platform-specific advisories that provide details on safety features and the number of scam reports linked to each platform, and are accessible by clicking on the platforms' logos. The platforms will be updated every six months to give them more frequent updates on their latest safety features.
The ratings classify platforms on whether they are business-to- consumer B 2 C or consumer-to consumer C 2 C B 2 C refers to the selling of products and services between a business and consumers. The microsite said that the sellers on B 2 C platforms are often screened, so these transactions tend to be highly controlled.
C 2 C refers to the buying and selling of products and services between individuals, where the seller may not be a business entity. There are a lot more variables to consider and safeguard against than in the B 2 C marketplaces, according to the microsite.
The platforms that didn't get the full four ticks Facebook, Carousell and Shopee have C 2 C elements where convenience of transaction, especially for second-hand products, might be prioritised.