SINGAPORE — From July 1, SMSes from government agencies will come from a single sender ID known as gov.sg, instead of the individual organisations. 

The move is aimed at helping the public identify authentic government SMSes and to guard against government official impersonation scams, said Smart Nation Group, Open Government Products (OGP) and the Ministry of Communications and Information in a joint media release on Thursday (June 13).

Since January, at least 126 people have been cheated by scammers impersonating Chinese officials, with total losses amounting to at least S$16.3 million, according to an advisory by the police on Thursday.

In the past, scammers have also impersonated police officers to convince victims to provide their personal details or transfer their money to third-party bank accounts.

In the joint release on Thursday, the agencies said that SMS remains a key platform for government communications to the public, given the widespread use of mobile phones.

More than 100 million SMSes are sent by various government agencies annually to notify recipients about policy changes and provide transaction updates, they added.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Recipients can expect SMSes from gov.sg for updates from various government agencies such as the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

The type of messages the public may receive includes updates on personal CPF matters, transaction status and appointment details, HDB flat and loan eligibility, as well as reminders to renew identity cards and passports.

However, some exceptions will be made for SMSes on National Service (NS) matters and emergency services.

For example, messages on NS call-ups, training as well as mobilisation will be sent by the number "72255". Likewise, those who contact the police helpline will receive SMSes from "71000" for information on accessing the services they require.

The single sender ID will be progressively rolled out from June 18. During this period until the complete roll-out on July 1, government agencies, ministries and statutory boards will continue to send SMSes from their respective sender IDs.

Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant against scams while checking messages for the official gov.sg sender ID.

The consolidated sender ID is designed to give the public "added confidence and ease of mind" when identifying legitimate SMSes from government agencies, said deputy secretary of Smart Nation Group Sim Feng-Ji.

Speaking to the media, Mr Sim said the agency is working closely with SMS aggregators — platforms or services that help to send bulk messages — telecommunication service providers and their sub-brands to ensure that messages that are not from the government cannot use the gov.sg sender ID. 

Mr Hygin Fernandez, policy assistant director of OGP, told CNA that additional safeguards are also in place for the gov.sg sender ID. 

"If anyone were to try and register a sender ID that looks even remotely like gov.sg, there are multiple layers (of protection), including a manual one where somebody eyeballs it, that prevents that message from ever being reaching the public," he said. 

Mr Hygin added that it took about nine months to plan and develop the sender ID.

The main focus when designing was to make sure the average person on the street would understand what the new way of communication means for them, said the policy assistant director. 

He added: "We've been very grateful for all the support that we've got across different agencies to come onboard… Everybody getting onto one system is not necessarily straightforward.

"All the agencies have different needs and we need to support (them) all." CNA