Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Relevance of ScamShield Mobile App with Telcos Implementing Anti-Scam Filters

Question:

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the ScamShield mobile app is still relevant since telecos will be required to implement anti-scam filters; (b) whether ScamShield will be enhanced to improve anti-scam measures; (c) how will the Government increase the download rate of ScamShield among vulnerable groups; and (d) whether grants will be offered to businesses using SMS sender IDs and who have financial hardship to offset costs for registering with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.   The ScamShield mobile application was launched as part of the Government’s multi-pronged approach to identify and block scam calls and SMSes. The iOS and Android versions were launched in November 2020 and September 2022 respectively. As of October 2022, about 6.5 million SMSes had been flagged to users as potential scams, and about 12,900 unique scam-tainted phone numbers have been blacklisted and blocked by ScamShield.

2.   Telecommunication companies have started implementing additional anti-scam filters for their networks. These filters scan for patterns and malicious URL hyperlinks to identify and block scam SMSes.

3.   Nonetheless, ScamShield remains useful. It is an additional layer of defence. ScamShield also provides additional protection by blocking calls from blacklisted numbers. In addition, ScamShield has a reporting function to allow users to alert the authorities about the scam messages and calls they receive.

4.   The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and Open Government Products are studying ways to enhance ScamShield. One area they are studying is to make it easier for users to report potential scams.

5.   The Police work closely with stakeholders to encourage the download of ScamShield. For example, Police regularly share crime information, including scam prevention advice, with Residents’ Committees and grassroots volunteers, so that in turn, they can engage their residents about scams via their own outreach platforms. Senior citizens are encouraged to download ScamShield during these sessions. Volunteer Crime Prevention Ambassadors from the NCPC also share about ScamShield with residents, including senior citizens, during their engagements. Additionally, Police have been pushing out publicity on the ScamShield application at various platforms, such as MRT stations and bus stops.

6.   The Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) was introduced in March 2022 to further strengthen our defences against scam SMSes. The SSIR works with SMS aggregators to block messages attempting to spoof the Sender IDs of organisations which have registered with the SSIR.

7.   From 31 January 2023, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will transition from a voluntary to mandatory SSIR regime. All organisations which wish to use Sender IDs will be required to register their IDs with the SSIR. This transition will take place over six months, after which, all unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked.

8.   Businesses are encouraged to register their Sender IDs with the SSIR as soon as possible. To ensure that registration with the SSIR remains affordable for smaller organisations, IMDA has adjusted registration fees from $1,000 (for one bundle of up to 10 Sender IDs), to $200 (for each Sender ID). This will reduce costs for smaller businesses, which typically use only one or two Sender IDs. More details are available at https://sgnic.sg/smsregistry/overview .