To better protect Singaporeans from spoofed SMSes, all organisations that send SMS messages to Singapore mobile users with an alphanumeric Sender ID are required to register their Sender ID with the SMS Sender ID Registry (“SSIR”). They are also required to only use SMS service providers or SMS aggregators (“Aggregators”) that are licensed by IMDA and participating in the SSIR. Registration of the Sender IDs helps to deter scammers and facilitates tracing in the event that a scam SMS is sent to Singapore mobile users.
SMS messages with unregistered Sender IDs will be replaced with the “Likely-SCAM” Sender ID from 31 January 2023. This serves to warn the recipient that the sender has not registered itself with SSIR and that the SMS message may potentially be a scam.
Staying alert against messages in the “Likely-SCAM” SMS thread
Consumers are reminded to stay vigilant against messages carrying the “Likely-SCAM” Sender ID, as these are sent by users who have not registered their Sender IDs with the SSIR. These SMS messages may be a SCAM SMS.
For messages bearing the Sender ID “Likely-SCAM”, consumers are strongly advised –
- NOT TO CLICK on any links in the SMS messages
- NOT TO CALL any numbers in the SMS messages
unless they can independently verify the identity of the senders.
- IGNORE any SMS messages claiming to be from government agencies.
All government agencies in Singapore will use registered Sender IDs in their SMS communications. Their SMS messages will not appear under the “Likely-SCAM” thread.
In certain cases, consumers may have reasons to believe that an SMS message in the “Likely-SCAM” thread is legitimate. For example, a consumer is undertaking an online transaction and is expecting to receive a one-time password (OTP) from the online merchant. Consumers should nonetheless–
- STAY VIGILANT. In particular, consumers should ensure that they are keying in the OTP on the merchant’s or payment service provider’s official website.
- When in doubt, consult your family members or contact the merchants via their official website or contact number.
Further information
- For better protection against scam calls and SMSes, consumers should download and install ScamShield. For further details, please visit https://www.scamshield.org.sg
- For organisations which are interested to register their SMS Sender IDs, please refer to SGNIC website of SMS Sender ID Registry – https://www.sgnic.sg/smsregistry/overview