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Combating Spoof Calls and Scam SMS
What is a spoof call?
A call is spoofed when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity such as masking their country code or impersonate (spoof) local numbers to mislead victims into believing that these calls are from legitimate sources such as government agencies.
How do I tell the difference between a spoof call and a legitimate call?
As one of the several measures the Government has rolled out to protect citizens and their personal data, since April 15, 2020 all overseas calls will come with the "+" prefix. For instance, +6955 0221 and +4241 2345 are likely to be spoofed calls. Consumers are advised to be vigilant and not share confidential data over the phone if they are not expecting overseas calls.
What else can I do to protect myself against spoof calls?
Here are some tips to avoid spoof calls:
- If you're not expecting overseas calls, ignore calls from numbers with a "+" sign prefix. You can also block these numbers on your phone to minimize repeated calls.
- In case you answer a spoof call, ignore any instruction conveyed by the caller and end the call.
What should I do if I think I am a victim of spoof call?
Depending on the personal detail that was disclosed, do quickly reach out to the affected bank, telco or organization to take steps to address the situation.
Why am I receiving SMS from senders marked as “Likely-SCAM”?
To further safeguard SMS as a form of communication channel, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has rolled out the Full SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) Regime. This requires public and private organisations that intend to send SMS as a form of notification to register their Sender IDs with the Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC). If the organisation fails to do so, in place of the unregistered Sender ID, the SMS header will be converted to “Likely-SCAM”, indicating a scam risk in the message.
Organisations were given up to 30 January 2023 to register their existing Sender IDs.
What should I do when I get an SMS from a sender marked as “Likely-SCAM”?
If you receive an SMS with the sender marked as “Likely-SCAM”, please exercise caution and do not respond or click on any link, as it may potentially be from an illegitimate source.
Some legitimate messages may be marked as “Likely-SCAM” if the sender (company) was unable to register their IDs in time. You may wish to follow up directly with the organisation in case you can identify the message’s source.
Can StarHub block potential scam SMS instead so I don’t receive them at all?
As part of the Full SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) Regime, messages from unregistered Sender IDs will be blocked after a transition period of 6 months by SMS aggregators connected to StarHub.
I got an SMS/telephone call claiming to be from StarHub, is this a scam?
Be wary of any SMS or phone calls from suspicious sources claiming to represent StarHub, and please refrain from sharing your personal information on non-official StarHub channels. If you need our assistance, feel free to contact us via Facebook or WhatsApp instead.
Additionally, if you would like to report new phishing/scam sites and messages pretending to be StarHub, please send all information to report-phish@starhub.com
Where can I read about other types of scams that I should be careful of?
Apart from spoof calls, scammers can use email to trick you into giving your personal information or granting access to your devices/network. Know more about phishing emails here.