Question:
Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the usage of ScamShield as a form of protection against scam calls and messages, to date, what is the (i) take-up rate and (ii) number of reports made through the app, respectively.
Answer:
Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:
1. From its launch in November 2020, to 31 December 2021, about 229,000 users have downloaded the ScamShield app.
2. During this period, 3.4 million calls and SMSes were reported as potential scams. 87% were detected by the ScamShield app; the rest were reported by the users through the ScamShield app.
3. ScamShield is currently only available on the iOS platform. While we had earlier announced that the Android version would be available in end-2021, timelines have been slightly delayed as GovTech had to reprioritise resources towards supporting the Whole-of-Government response to COVID-19.
4. The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and GovTech are working to launch the Android version of ScamShield in the first half of this year instead. We encourage the public to make full use of the ScamShield app to protect themselves from scams.
