Singapore authorities have instructed tech giants Apple and Google to stop impersonation of government agencies on their messaging services to protect the public from scams. The move comes as unknown senders increasingly pose as official government bodies, misleading users and spreading fraudulent messages. By November 30, both companies must block accounts and group chats on iMessage and Google Messages that use names mimicking the “gov.sg” sender ID or other local government agencies. If blocking is not feasible, the platforms must filter messages from such senders, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on November 25.
The ministry also directed that the profile names of unknown senders should either be hidden or displayed less prominently than phone numbers. This measure is designed to help users better identify unknown contacts and exercise caution before engaging with messages. Since July 2024, the “gov.sg” sender ID has been used to make official government messages easily recognizable. However, this protection does not cover messages on iMessage and Google Messages, making it easier for scammers to mislead recipients, according to MHA.
Authorities highlighted the urgency of these steps after reporting over 120 cases of scammers impersonating the national postal service, as well as other registered sender IDs. These incidents demonstrate the need to prevent misuse of messaging platforms and protect public trust in official communications. “Apple and Google have indicated that they will comply with the Implementation Directives,” the ministry added. The directive was issued on November 24 under the Online Criminal Harms Act, which came into effect in February 2024, giving the government the authority to limit Singapore users’ exposure to online criminal activity.
Earlier in September, similar measures were applied to another social media platform to target scam accounts, profiles and pages impersonating key government office holders. Singapore authorities continue to strengthen safeguards to ensure official messages remain trustworthy and to reduce the risk of online scams. These actions reflect a broader effort to maintain digital security and protect the public from increasingly sophisticated impersonation tactics.
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