Key Points
- Singapore police ordered Apple and Google to stop identity spoofing. Scammers were impersonating government agencies on iMessage and Google Messages.
- The order closes a loophole that allowed fakes to bypass the “gov.sg” registry.
- Tech companies must now block or filter accounts using official government names.
- Google confirmed it is working with authorities to implement the changes.
Singapore authorities are tightening the leash on tech giants to protect citizens from digital fraud. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the police have officially ordered Apple and Google to stop scammers from impersonating government agencies on their messaging platforms.
The move comes after police noticed a rising number of scams on Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages. Bad actors were using these apps to impersonate official entities, such as SingPost, the local postal service. To stop this, the government invoked the Online Criminal Harms Act, forcing the companies to close the security loophole.
The core issue lies in how these apps function compared to standard texting. In Singapore, legitimate government agencies are registered under the protected SMS sender ID “gov.sg.” This ensures that only authorized officials can send alerts under that name. However, iMessage and Google Messages operate over the internet and were not part of this registry.
This allowed scammers to manually name their accounts “gov.sg” or similar titles. Since these messages appear in the same inbox as regular texts, the police warned that the public could easily mistake a fake link for a real government notification.
Under the new directive, Apple and Google must effectively block these impostors. They are required to prevent any account or group chat from displaying names that spoof “gov.sg” or other ministry titles. If they cannot prevent the account creation, they must filter the messages so they never reach the user’s screen.
The ministry stated that both companies have committed to complying with the order. Google confirmed on Tuesday that it is collaborating with the government to implement these preemptive measures, which will work alongside its existing spam filters. While Apple has not issued a separate comment, the government indicated it is on board.
This action follows a similar crackdown in September, where Singapore threatened to fine Meta if it failed to stop impersonation scams on Facebook. Officials are now urging the public to update their mobile apps immediately to ensure the latest safeguards are active.
