Anti-scam efforts by MDDI

1. Blocking of commonly spoofed local numbers, robocalls, scam SMSes and scam-related links via SMS
   

   • IMDA has partnered with telcos to implement a suite of anti-scam measures against scams coming through the telecommunication networks.

     • Since 2019, telcos have been blocking commonly spoofed local trusted numbers, such as emergency hotlines and government agencies. In addition, telcos have been blocking reported SMSes and scam links sent via SMS to Singapore users.

     • Since 2020, telcos have been blocking robocalls using pattern recognition technology.

   • IMDA also worked with the telcos and the police to further tighten SIM card registration processes. From April 2024, a limit of 10 postpaid SIM cards per subscriber has been put in place.
     
     

2. Offering subscribers the features to block all incoming international calls and SMSes
   

   • As many of these scam calls/SMSes come from overseas, IMDA has worked with telcos to offer subscribers the features to block all incoming calls and/or SMSes from international numbers on mobile and residential fixed lines.

   • Over 800,000 subscribers have activated the feature to block incoming international overseas calls and over 200,000 subscribers have activated the feature to block overseas SMSes. Subscribers are encouraged to activate the features if they do not expect to receive any overseas calls or SMSes.
     
     

3. Detecting suspicious numbers
   

   • IMDA has been working with telecommunications companies to detect and act against the suspected misuse of local mobile numbers based on suspicious traits.  
     

Visit the IMDA website for more details on their anti-scam measures.

1. Supporting the disruption of transnational scam syndicates

   • From April to June 2025, the SPF, HKPF, and Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) conducted a joint operation that successfully disrupted a criminal syndicate operating Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) GSM gateway devices used to perpetrate scam calls.

   • The CSA provided technical expertise and forensic capabilities to support this joint operation which included testing the GSM gateway devices and analysing the network communication protocols between these devices and other connected devices deployed in the scam infrastructure by cybercriminals. This led to the discovery of additional GSM gateways in Singapore and other infrastructure used by the scam syndicates such as SIM and SIP servers.

2. Enhanced Fraud Protection with Google

   • In February 2024, CSA partnered Google on a pilot for Enhanced Fraud Protection (EFP) within Google Play Protect in Singapore. This feature automatically blocks the installation of potentially malicious apps that use sensitive runtime permissions. As of June 2025, the EFP feature has successfully blocked 2.49 million installation attempts of potentially malicious applications across 553,000 devices. This prevented more than 40,000 unique apps from potentially being misused for financial fraud and scams. This feature is now being rolled out in other countries by Google, protecting citizens beyond Singapore.
     

3. Cybersecurity education and public awareness efforts

   • The sixth National Cybersecurity Campaign, “Stop and Check” was launched on 13 September 2025. Fronting the campaign is the new national mascot - Jaga, the Cybersecurity Hedgehog. Jaga urges members of public to pause, stop and check with official sources, family and friends before acting on unsolicited messages and requests. The campaign also highlight the importance of cybersecurity practices, i.e. installing anti-virus apps and updating software promptly, and is supported through roadshows, corporate partnerships and multi-channel media platforms.

Visit CSA's website for details on their anti-scam measures.

1. SATIS suite of products to support SPF’s investigations

   • Co-developed with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Scam Analytics and Tactical Intervention System (SATIS) is an end-to-end platform that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning — including GovTech Singapore’s in-house recursive Machine-learning Scam Evaluation (rMSE) classifier — to help SPF prioritise, evaluate, and disrupt scam sites. Each day, the system reviews hundreds of thousands of websites through a mix of automation and human analysis.

   • Over time, additional capabilities have been added to the SATIS suite to strengthen SPF’s investigative work against other scam enablers. These include tools to evaluate and disrupt online monikers (e.g., accounts on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Carousell) and payment channels such as bank accounts. Planned enhancements will further extend SATIS’ coverage to support the evaluation and disruption of scam-related phone numbers.

2. rMSE - a scaled machine learning classifier to identify scam sites

   • GovTech Singapore developed rMSE, a machine learning classifier that identifies scam websites with high accuracy, speed and scale. When benchmarked against subsequent police assessments, rMSE achieved over 90% accuracy. Each site is evaluated within 3 to 5 seconds, enabling the system to process more than 10 sites per second — amounting to hundreds of thousands of sites per day.

   • rMSE is a core component of the SATIS platform and also serves other selected partners such as ScamShield to strengthen scam detection and disruption efforts.

3. Participation in the Global Signal Exchange (GSE)

   • GovTech Singapore is the first government agency to join the Global Signal Exchange (GSE) — the world’s first global, multi-stakeholder and cross-sector clearing house for sharing abuse data and related information (called ‘signals’). By joining the GSE, GovTech Singapore, in partnership with SPF, sends scam signals — including scam-tainted websites — through the GSE to strengthen detection and disruption efforts.

Visit GovTech's website for details on their anti-scam measures.

1. Single SMS Sender ID gov.sg for all government agencies

   • Since 1 July 2024, the Singapore Government has implemented a single SMS Sender ID, 'gov.sg', for all government agencies. This replaces most individual government agency Sender IDs. The change aims to help the public easily identify genuine government SMS communications and protect against government officials impersonation scams. To date, 181 million SMSes have been sent out and 93% of the public recognise the gov.sg SMS channel.

2. Enhanced ScamShield App

   • In August 2024, OGP enhanced the ScamShield app to move from passive to active protection, addressing emerging scam variants more effectively. The enhanced app enables users to check suspicious calls, messages and websites on third-party platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. Reporting has also been streamlined, allowing more crowdsourced data to strengthen scam detection and intelligence. These improvements optimise the performance of ScamShield’s AI classifier, ensuring scam calls and SMSes are detected with greater accuracy.

   • Since the launch of the enhanced app, the app’s user base grew by 42% from 944,000 to 1.34 million users currently. 1.27 million checks were performed using the “Check for Scams” feature and 599,700 reports were received using the “Report a Scam” feature. The app is rated an average of 4.6/5 for in-app satisfaction.
     

3. ‘Unpacked’ mobile immersive scam simulation

   • OGP created ‘Unpacked’, an immersive, mobile-first simulation that lets users experience a scam firsthand to better understand how it unfolds. Built during OGP's Hack for Public Good 2025, ‘Unpacked’ walks users through a realistic government officials impersonation scam, beginning with a phone call from someone claiming to be the police. Since February 2025, ‘Unpacked’ has hosted more than 9,920 unique visitors.

Visit OGP's website for details on their anti-scam measures.