Whole of Government Efforts

Combatting scams is a key priority for the Singapore Government. The Government adopts a multi-layered strategy to tackle scams, centered on four key areas:

1. Prevent and block scams

• Block robocalls and overseas calls which spoof local numbers

  • Nearly 390M potential scam calls were blocked in 2023

• Require organisations to register their Sender IDs with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry

  • Scam SMSes fell by 70% within the first 3 months after implementation

• Work with online platforms to take down scam content and accounts

• Require designated service providers to implement measures to proactively disrupt scams, under the Codes of Practice of the Online Criminal Harms Act

• Introduce safeguards to prevent abuse of banking facilities for scams

  • “Money Lock” feature, for bank customers to set aside funds which cannot be transferred digitally

  • Implemented anti-malware controls in banking apps

2. Detect and report scams

• ScamShield App allows users to report scam calls and SMSes

  • Since May 2022, ScamShield has blacklisted and blocked over 120,000 scam entities.

  • The app has had over 900,000 downloads since its launch.

• Banks have enhanced their fraud surveillance systems to detect scam-related transactions

• Major banks have 24/7 call centres for scam reporting

3. Enforce against scams and recover lost monies

• Set up Anti-Scam Command to facilitate swift fund tracing and freezing of bank accounts involved in scams

  • In 2023, more than 19,600 bank accounts were frozen, and over $100M was recovered

• The Police work closely with foreign counterparts to exchange information and conduct joint ops against scam syndicates

  • In 2023, close collaboration with foreign partners led to the successful take-down of 19 scam syndicates, and arrest of more than 110 persons based overseas

  • Amended our laws to enforce against money mules, and those who abuse Singpass and local SIM cards to facilitate scams

  • Banks implemented emergency self-service “kill switch” to allow banking customers to suspend their accounts quickly if compromised

4. Public education

• Launched the “I can ACT against scams” campaign, to educate the public on the steps to protect themselves against scams

• E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings informs consumers of critical anti-scam features on e-commerce marketplaces