Starting Friday (5 Jan), four telecommunication companies or telcos in Singapore will offer mobile phone customers international call-blocking services.
The service is part of a move to combat scams, according to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Thursday (4 Jan).
Those interested in the service can approach their respective telco to understand its scope and how to sign up for it.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports that in a press release on 4 Jan, IMDA announced that four telecommunication companies in Singapore will offer customers the option of blocking international numbers.
Source: Singtel
The companies are as follows:
“Subscribers can enable and disable the international number blocking option based on their need,” IMDA shared.
For instance, a customer can choose to enable international number blocking as a default. They can then disable it while travelling overseas and expecting calls from international numbers.
The service will block all incoming calls from international numbers. However, customers will still receive calls from Singapore numbers, including those calling from overseas.
Customers of the four companies can access the service free of charge starting tomorrow (5 Jan).
“Mobile subscribers should approach their respective telcos to understand the service scope and how to sign up,” IMDA said.
IMDA revealed that about 1.6 billion international calls are received in Singapore, with some made by scammers operating overseas.
From January to September last year, telcos blocked more than 300 million scam calls. This was the equivalent of one in every four incoming calls from international numbers during the period.
Source: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
“To combat the threat posed by international scam calls, IMDA and the telcos have progressively introduced measures,” IMDA said.
This includes upfront blocking of all international calls that exhibit unusually high frequency, as these are likely scam calls made using automated systems.
“In addition, all international incoming calls where the caller ID is falsified with a +65 prefix to resemble a call made from Singapore, were also identified and blocked,” IMDA noted.
By mid-2024, IMDA aims to allow customers to have the option of blocking SMSes from international numbers. Such a measure would restrict another form of communication by scammers, The Straits Times (ST) reports.
IMDA also emphasised the need for the public to remain on guard as scammers evolve their tactics.
“Scammers will continue to change their methods and tactics,” it said. “There is no foolproof measure even as we continue to monitor and implement additional safeguards.”
“IMDA will continue to work with other stakeholders in the fight against scams,” the authority added.
Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo elaborated on the blocking service, explaining that the feature would “prevent the vulnerable who may accidentally answer an overseas call from a scammer and be tricked into it”.
“As a person with an elderly parent, I find this feature useful because I can then activate it for my parents’ mobile phones,” Mrs Teo said.
Also read: DBS, OCBC & UOB Introducing Money Lock Features From 27 Nov, No Digital Transfers Allowed
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Featured image adapted from Robin Worrall on Unsplash.
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