Introduction
Singapore continues to adopt a collective, multi-pronged approach to fight scams. Government agencies, industries and the community work together closely to counter ever-evolving scams.
Set up by the government, the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS) leverages expert knowledge and resources from various government agencies such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Singapore Police Force, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Monetary Authority of Singapore to synchronise the government’s efforts in combatting scams.
International collaboration
Scam and spam communications are a global issue requiring close international cooperation to tackle. To develop a global and coordinated approach to address these threats, IMDA engages and partners with international regulators to facilitate knowledge exchange and understanding of anti-scam measures and approaches.
IMDA has signed multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with international regulators to enhance cross-border cooperation on scam and spam communications. These form part of IMDA’s broader international approach to work with international regulators to better combat scams coming through communication platforms such as SMS and phone calls.
Some of our latest international engagements include working with:
Multi-layered anti-scam measures for calls and SMS
IMDA employs a multi-layered approach to disrupt scams across various communication channels. Through partnerships with Telcos and the Singapore Police Force, we've strengthened safeguards for SMS and calls to better protect users in Singapore.
Proven Impact on Calls and SMS
- 2024: 117 million potential scam calls and 50 million SMS messages blocked.
- 2025: Over 260 million potential scam calls and 40 million SMS messages blocked.
- Mobile Line Disruption: Enhanced detection has disrupted approximately 100,000 mobile lines suspected of misuse since mid-2024.
Tightened SIM Card Safeguards
To minimise illicit SIM card use, registration limits have been tightened.
- Prepaid: Limited to 3 SIM cards per subscriber since 2014.
- Postpaid: While the previous limit was 10 SIM cards per telco, a new limit of 10 postpaid SIM cards across ALL telcos will take effect on 28 February 2026.
- Self-Help Tool: From 26 February 2026, you can check your registered postpaid SIM cards that count towards the 10-SIM card limit via Singpass at go.gov.sg/simcardhowmany.
International Blocking Features
All telcos now offer features to block incoming international communications. Adoption continues to grow, with over 1.1 million subscribers activating overseas call blocking and over 270,000 activating overseas SMS blocking.
Recognising that many of these scam calls/SMSes come from overseas sources, IMDA worked with the telcos to introduce features for subscribers to block all incoming calls and/or SMSes from international numbers on their mobile phones and residential fixed lines. For a quick guide on how the international call and SMS blocking features work, please download the posters below:
Visit the MDDI website for more details on the government’s anti-scam measures.
For scam calls
For scam SMSes
Frequently Asked Questions on self-help SIM card checker
You can check the number of postpaid SIM cards registered under you through a pilot self-help SIM card checker tool go.gov.sg/simcardhowmany. Subscribers have to authenticate their identity using Singpass, then provide and verify their email address. An email from info@plumber.gov.sg will be sent to the verified email address with information on the postpaid SIM cards registered under the subscriber. As postpaid SIM cards subscribed by individuals under corporate individual scheme (CIS) plans and data-only SIM cards are not counted towards the limit, this information will not be reflected under the SIM card checker.
Singpass is required to ensure subscribers are properly verified. For registration of a Singpass account or if you face issues with using your Singpass account, you may wish to visit this link.
Some postpaid SIM cards may have been registered under your name from past bundled promotions, free plans, or lines under family etc. You should contact your Telco(s) to check and verify these details, and request for them to terminate these lines, if preferred.
However, if you suspect that your ID has been misused for SIM card registration, you should promptly notify the telco(s), make a police report and lodge the incident with ScamShield.
If you did not receive the email or email OTP, please check the following:
- Ensure that you have entered the correct email address before retrying.
- Check your Junk or Spam mailbox, as the email may have been filtered there.
- Allow some time and refresh your inbox, as there may be a short delay in delivery.
If you entered the wrong email address, try again by entering the correct email address. No information will be sent to the wrong email address, if verification is not completed.
If you still do not receive the OTP after trying the above, please try again or contact us at simcardhowmany@imda.gov.sg for further assistance.
Check that your Internet/WiFi connection is stable and refresh your page. Check that the URL is correct. If you still encounter difficulties, please contact simcardhowmany@imda.gov.sg.
If you receive an email that contains information not belonging to you, your email inbox may have been erroneously used. Please help safeguard personal information by doing the following:
- Ignore the contents of the email and delete the email. Do not forward, share, or circulate the email.
- Report the incident to IMDA via simcardhowmany@imda.gov.sg.
Resources
Stay vigilant against scams and explore the following materials to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones.
The Digital for Life Movement aims to galvanise the community to help citizens of all ages and walks of life embrace digital as a shared platform and equal opportunity enabler.
Learn about scam trends from the Police’s scams information page.
Learn about the different scam types and the scam experiences of others by visiting the scamalert.sg website. For advice on scams, call the Anti-Scam Helpline @ 1799 (Mon-Fri: 9am to 6pm, excluding Public Holidays).
ScamShield is a product suite that defends against scams, jointly developed by Open Government Products, the Singapore Police Force and the National Crime Prevention Council. ScamShield currently comprises of the ScamShield App (available on iOS and Android) and the ScamShield Bot.
For more information on the SSIR, please refer to this press release (494.06KB) and Singapore Network Information Centre’s website.
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