\n<\/p>\n
To protect the public from such scams, government agencies have been using the \u201cgov.sg\u201d sender ID to send SMSes to make legitimate government messages easily identifiable.<\/p>\n
“While we have imposed this and other safeguards like the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) on SMSes, they currently do not apply to messages sent via iMessage and Google Messages,” said MHA.<\/p>\n
The “gov.sg” sender ID is not used to send messages via iMessage and Google Messages, said the ministry.<\/p>\n
However, some might assume that the iMessages or Google Messages that they receive from accounts claiming to be from \u201cgov.sg\u201d are legitimate, as they appear alongside official SMSes and are not easily distinguishable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police have already seen scams involving the impersonation of other SSIR-registered SMS sender IDs on iMessage and Google Messages,\u201d said the ministry.<\/p>\n
These include over 120 cases involving the impersonation of SingPost, it added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is therefore a need to put in place measures to deter the abuse of iMessage and Google Messages by scammers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Online Criminal Harms Act, passed in July 2023, allows the relevant authority to issue directives to online service providers to put in place any system, process or measure, if the authority is satisfied that this is necessary or expedient to address a relevant offence.<\/p>\n
Online service providers that fail to comply with the implementation directive without a reasonable excuse may be fined up to S$1 million (US$770,000).\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the case of a continuing offence, they may be further fined up to S$100,000 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.<\/p>\n