Singapore authorities have directed tech giants Apple and Google to prevent users from spoofing local government agency names on their messaging platforms, in an effort to curb impersonation scams targeting the public.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on November 25 that by Sunday, November 30, both companies must block accounts and group chats on iMessage and Google Messages from using the "gov.sg" sender ID or the names of other local government agencies.
Messages from such senders must also be filtered. Additionally, profile names of unknown senders should either be hidden or displayed less prominently than phone numbers, helping users identify unfamiliar contacts more easily.
Since July 2024, Singapore has used the "gov.sg" sender ID to help the public distinguish official messages from scams. However, this protection does not extend to iMessage and Google Messages, leaving users vulnerable to spoofed messages that appear similar to legitimate communications, MHA said.
The move comes amid a rise in impersonation scams. Police reported over 120 cases of scammers posing as SingPost and other agencies.
Victims lost S$126.5 million to government impersonation scams in the first six months of 2025, a near 90% increase from S$67.2 million during the same period in 2024. The number of reported cases also nearly tripled, rising to 1,762 in the first half of 2025 from 589 in 2024.
"Apple and Google have indicated that they will comply with the Implementation Directives," MHA said, adding that the order was issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act, which came into force in February 2024. The law enables the Government to restrict online platforms from exposing Singapore users to criminal activity.
This follows a similar directive in September to Meta, requiring measures to block accounts, pages, and advertisements impersonating key government officials on Facebook.
A Google spokesperson said the company supports Singapore's efforts to protect users online. "We are collaborating with the Government to implement pre-emptive measures to help prevent the spoofing of government agencies' names in RCS messages sent via Google Messages," the spokesperson said, noting that this builds on existing spam-detection features.
Rich Communication Services (RCS), which is supported on platforms such as Google Messages, allows for high-resolution photo sharing and secure, end-to-end encrypted conversations. MHA advised the public to regularly update their iMessage and Google Messages apps to ensure the latest anti-spoofing safeguards are in place.
