Singapore Tackles Fraud: Tech Giants Ordered to Combat Messaging Scams

Singapore's police, under the Online Criminal Harms Act, have mandated Apple and Google to block government agency impersonations on their messaging platforms. This action follows scams purporting to be from entities like SingPost. The effort is to ensure public trust in messaging communications.

In a significant move to combat rising impersonation scams, Singapore's police have directed Apple and Google to prevent misuse of their messaging platforms by those impersonating government agencies. Announced by the home affairs ministry on Tuesday, this directive is enacted under the Online Criminal Harms Act.

The decision was prompted by scams on Apple's iMessage and Google Messages, where messages falsely claimed links to organizations like the local postal service, SingPost. In a related effort last month, the government warned Meta Platforms to introduce safeguards, such as facial recognition, on Facebook to curb impersonation of government officials.

Authorities have emphasized that while government agencies can send messages using "gov.sg" through a local SMS registry, this safeguard does not extend to platforms like iMessage and Google Messages. Thus, Apple and Google are required to inhibit the misuse of government identifiers on their platforms. The tech companies have agreed to comply, and the public is advised to update their apps for the latest security measures.

(With inputs from agencies.)