New prefixed number for calls from police among anti-scam measures to be rolled out
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Government official impersonation scams have been on the rise, more than doubling from 1,504 cases in 2024 to 3,363 in 2025.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
- Police calls will soon use a unique prefixed number so the public will know they are talking with real officers, addressing rising impersonation scams.
- Singapore will implement stricter online platform requirements, enhanced user verification, and sentencing guidelines for SIM card misuse.
- A National Scams List platform is being developed for real-time information exchange to stop scam money flow, alongside new laws targeting scam mules.
AI generated
SINGAPORE - Calls from the police will soon come with a single, easily recognisable prefixed number.
This is so members of the public can tell if it is a real police officer calling them, or a scammer.
Speaking during the debate on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) budget on Feb 27, Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said the police are working with Open Government Products and the Infocomm Media Development Authority on this.
He said: “Going forward, if you receive an unknown phone call and the caller claims to be an SPF (Singapore Police Force) officer, it is likely a scam.”
More details about the number will be shared at a later date.
Government official impersonation scams have been on the rise, more than doubling from 1,504 cases in 2024 to 3,363 in 2025.
The amount lost to such scams also rose by around 60 per cent, from $151.3 million in 2024 to $242.9 million in 2025.
This is more than $72,000 lost per case on average.
In most of these cases, scammers would impersonate officers from the SPF, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Mr Goh said Singapore has been striking back at the scammers, and the scams situation improved in 2025, with both the number of cases and amount lost falling.
But he said the situation is still of serious concern.
Other measures that will be rolled out in 2026 include requiring online platforms to do more to fight scams.
He said the authorities will soon require WhatsApp to put in place measures to prevent spoofing of gov.sg and Singapore government agencies.
This is similar to what was required of Google and Apple in November 2025.
The existing Codes of Practice under the Online Criminal Harms Act will also be strengthened, requiring stricter user verification and imposing a response time for platforms to act on user reports on scams.
On the legislative front, Mr Goh said sentencing guidelines for the misuse of SIM cards will be introduced, to ensure that the sentences meted out for egregious cases are sufficiently deterrent.
He said MHA is also exploring new laws to enable the police to take action against mules who obtain or supply online accounts to facilitate scams and other crimes.
Meanwhile, the police and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency are developing a platform known as the National Scams List.
It will facilitate the automatic real-time exchange of information between the Government and its partners.
They will share information such as the culprits’ identities, bank accounts, phone lines and online accounts.
This way, stakeholders like banks can work to stop the flow of scam monies and suspend accounts that may potentially be used for scams even before the money is moved.
Laws to enable and safeguard these data-sharing arrangements will be introduced later in the year, said Mr Goh.
He said: “Scams are very difficult to eradicate because they prey on human emotions and our lifestyles.
“But we must also make it very difficult for the perpetrator to get their way.”
