SMS messages sent by organizations that are not registered with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) would be reportedly marked as 'likely scam' starting January 31.

In an effort to combat the scam outbreak in Singapore, IMDA stated that all businesses that deliver SMSes using alphanumeric sender IDs must register with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR ). It also stated that individuals who receive SMSes marked as likely scam should proceed with caution as the system works similarly to a spam bin. Customers are advised to consult their friends and relatives if they are unsure.

IMDA stated that all companies using alphanumeric sender IDs, which frequently contain brand names and may feature a combination of numbers and letters should file early with the registry.

Apparently, the authority urged those who have not registered to do so.

Over 1,200 organizations, comprising financial institutions, e-commerce providers, logistics suppliers, as well as small and medium-sized businesses, had registered as of January, using a total of over 2,600 SMS sender IDs.

The Singapore Business Federation, the Association of Banks in Singapore, as well as the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, among others, are some of the associations that IMDA claims it has contacted to persuade organizations to join the SSIR.

Reportedly, the new required SSIR rule is one element of a continual multi-layered strategy to increase fraud protection. This has been done in tandem with telecom operators to systematically lower the number of scam calls and SMSs that are sent via communication networks.

Singapore reported a 64% drop in SMS scams from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the Q2 of 2022 after establishing the SSIR in March 2022.

The authority added that SMS scam instances accounted for approximately 8% of fraud reports in the Q2 of 2022, dropping from 10% during the same period in 2021.

Source credit: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/smses-from-organisations-not-registered-with-imda-to-be-labelled-likely-scam-from-jan-31