Debated in Parliament on 15 Jan 2019.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Ministry has studied technological solutions capable of identifying and automatically blocking (i) automated calls pretending to represent the authorities and other fraudulent automated calling schemes and (ii) text messages that solicit illegal lending, online gambling, or other illegal activities; and (b) whether the Ministry will direct telecommunications service providers to develop or deploy such protective technologies.
The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) is exploring the feasibility of technological solutions to block automated fraudulent calls and text messages promoting illegal activities. These include solutions adopted or being developed by other jurisdictions, such as verifying legitimate calling numbers. In general, such technologies are still nascent and their effectiveness has yet to be determined.
IMDA is also working with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Singapore Police Force to tighten the prepaid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card regime to prevent criminal syndicates from using prepaid SIM cards to carry out their criminal activities.
Other stakeholders also play an important role in combating these calls and text messages. Our telecommunication service providers are assisting the Police to address scams and text messages that solicit illegal moneylending, online gambling or other illegal activities. The public can also take steps, such as reporting the originating number as spam and blocking it, by using the spam filtering functions on their phones. More importantly, we must help educate our loved ones so that they do not fall prey to the illegal activities being promoted through such calls and text messages.
PAPERCUTS