Singapore Orders Apple, Google to Block Scam Messages Masquerading as Government Agencies
Singapore Police have ordered Apple and Google to implement mandatory restrictions on their messaging platforms to prevent scams impersonating government agencies. The country’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced the directive on Tuesday under the Online Criminal Harms Act, according to Reuters.
Police reported that in recent months, various scam messages have appeared on iMessage and Google Messages, falsely using the identities of public agencies, including Singapore Post. While government bodies are registered under “Gov.sg” in the local SMS registry, this rule does not apply to iMessage and Google Messages. As a result, users often mistake these messages for legitimate communications and become victims of deception.
Earlier in September, the government warned Meta that it would face penalties if it failed to implement stronger measures—such as facial recognition—to curb fake accounts impersonating officials on Facebook.
Under the new directive, Apple and Google must deploy technical safeguards to ensure no account or group chat can impersonate “Gov.sg” or any other government entity, and such messages must be automatically filtered.
The Ministry stated that both companies have agreed to comply with the order. Citizens have been advised to update their mobile apps so that the enhanced security protections remain effective.
DBTech/BMT/OR
