Singapore issues directives to Apple and Google to curb government-agency spoofing on messaging apps

Singapore – The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued Implementation Directives to Apple and Google requiring new anti-spoofing measures on iMessage and Google Messages by 30 November 2025, according to an announcement on 24 November.

The directives, issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), are aimed at preventing scammers from impersonating Singapore government agencies on the two messaging platforms.

Since July 2024, government agencies have used the “gov.sg” SMS sender ID to help the public distinguish legitimate messages. However, current safeguards such as the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) apply only to SMS, leaving iMessage and Google Messages outside the system.

Authorities noted that while government agencies do not use the “gov.sg” ID on these platforms, users may still confuse spoofed messages for official ones because they appear alongside SMS and are not easily distinguishable.

Police said they have identified scams involving the impersonation of other SSIR-registered sender IDs on the two apps, including more than 120 cases involving SingPost.

Under the directives, Apple and Google must introduce two measures to prevent spoofing of “gov.sg” and other government agency names on iMessage and Google Messages:

• Prevent accounts and group chats from displaying names that spoof “gov.sg” or government agencies, or filter messages from such accounts and chats.
• Ensure that the profile names of unknown senders are either not displayed or shown less prominently than their phone numbers to help users better identify unfamiliar contacts.

Apple and Google have indicated they will comply with the directives. The authorities urged users to keep their messaging apps updated to ensure the latest safeguards are active.