Imagine you are completely immersed in a Zoom Work meeting when suddenly your phone rings and the number +65 appears on the display. It could be from anyone or an emergency call from our loved ones. To leave nothing to chance, you immediately excuse yourself from your colleagues (and even bosses) to answer the phone, only to be greeted by a robotic voice on the other end of the line.
Most of us have probably received a scam call at some point. Some of us may also have received SMS, WhatsApp or WeChat messages about unlicensed lending or gambling platforms. These calls and messages are not only annoying but also result in wasted time as we may be unknowingly misled.
While some of us may be astute enough to spot the scam, not everyone is. According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), nearly 4,400 cases of mobile phone fraud were reported in 2020, and scammers stole over $60 million.
Most of these cases can be avoided if the scammers cannot reach us or our loved ones in the first place. Given the importance of such preventive measures, ScamShield was developed and launched in November 2020 to combat the increasing number of scams targeting mobile phone users.
Read also: Crimewatch: 4 scams on the rise (Singapore Police report)
What is ScamShield and how does it work?
ScamShield is a mobile app that prevents scammers from reaching us through our mobile phone numbers. The app is a three-way development of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the Government Technology Agency’s Open Government Products team and the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
The app focuses on two main functions: blocking scam numbers and filtering scam messages as junk. The scam messages are identified and filtered by the application using artificial intelligence.
Source: Singapore Police
Aside from reducing the number of scammers reaching our phones, we can also help report scam numbers that land on our cell phones.
Source: Scam Shield App
Currently, the database of blocked numbers and scam messages is maintained by the NCPC and the SPF’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC).
In addition to collecting the scammers’ numbers, the Anti-Scam Centre also takes proactive action against the scammers. This includes reaching out to telecommunications companies to block, suspend or terminate the line. In addition to blocking lines, the ASC also monitors the online space and actively works to take down malicious websites. Most recently, in April 2021, the ASC blocked a website after detecting an SMS phishing scam that asked victims to click on the phishing site via a URL link.
Read also: 4 horrible money scams that Singaporeans keep falling for
Protect your loved ones (and ourselves) with ScamShield
One way to protect our loved ones (and ourselves) is to install ScamShield. Especially for those of us who have parents or relatives at risk who could fall victim to scams, ScamShield can provide an additional barrier against scammers.
ScamShield is also easy to install and we can easily set it up for our loved ones who may not be digitally savvy. After the quick setup (in 4 steps), it can work quietly in the background to block calls and weed out fraudulent messages in our junk emails.
As a preventive measure, ScamShield has effectively limited the reach of scammers. In the last six months since its launch, ScamShield has filtered over 722,865 SMS and blocked over 5,537 phone numbers.
While ScamShield is effective at reducing the frequency of scam calls and messages, it is not a foolproof solution. Scam techniques are constantly evolving and occasionally a scammer’s call can still get through. We can help improve the effectiveness of the app by reporting the case through ScamShield. This keeps ScamShield up to date and prevents the scam from claiming more victims.
ScamShield protects you (and your privacy)
The goal of ScamShield is to limit the influence of scammers while protecting the privacy of our personal information.
First, ScamShield does not require us to register with our mobile phone number or location and therefore is not able to identify users.
Secondly, it does not have access to data of people in our contact list. Although ScamShield collects data on fraudulent SMS, only messages from unknown numbers are sent to NCPC & ASC.
For example, if a message comes from a known contact, the SMS will not be forwarded to ScamShield. If we interacted with an unknown contact or decided to have a conversation with an unknown contact, the content of that SMS will not be sent to ScamShield either.
Read also: A cautionary tale: Why you need to be more wary of e-commerce fraud now than ever before
ScamShield is a free application that has already been downloaded by over 119,000 users. Currently, ScamShield is only available for iOS devices, but can be downloaded for free from the App Store. Android users will have to wait a little longer, as ScamShield is working closely with relevant partners to bring the app to market.
The post What is the ScamShield app and how can you use it today to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
