Regulating Charity Donations in Brunei Darussalam

Social welfare, humanitarian, and environmental disaster issues can now be shared quickly locally and globally through social media, and together with improved international financial transactions, donors can now give and transfer money or cash in an instant to those in need. However, some took advantage of the public’s charitable gestures, creating fake fundraising campaigns and impersonating real charities. In 2024, US$1.03 trillion has been lost globally due to financial scams and 13% of it involved charitable causes. In Southeast Asia, it is estimated that 1 in 4 adults have lost money to scammers, and charity scams are the 6th most common reason cited. In Brunei Darussalam, the police recorded losses of B$5 million in 2024 due to online scams, but the charity scam was not part of the statistics. Calls for donations from the public, mostly made on social media, as well as forwarded messages through the WhatsApp mobile phone application, have occurred in recent times in Brunei Darussalam. However, how does the public know that the money donated went to the intended beneficiaries, and are there any proper audits of the donations given?  This paper uses qualitative, documentary research, both digital and hard copies, to examine existing regulatory practices of charities in Brunei Darussalam, where the literature is currently limited. This paper will argue that there is a need for more regulatory oversight in Brunei Darussalam, such as the establishment of a charity commission, updating the laws relating to charity donation as well as creating a national platform for donations, both cash and in-kind, for those in need of assistance.