Police launch single caller ID 6000 0999 to fight government official impersonation scams

As part of the Government's ongoing efforts to strengthen safeguards against government official impersonation scams (GOIS), the police will be the first Government agency to launch a single, prefixed number — 6000 0999 — starting Nov 2.

In a joint media release by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Open Government Products and the police on Sunday (Nov 1), they said the initiative was developed through a multi-agency effort by them.

It is aimed at helping members of the public identify legitimate calls from Government agencies more easily, and better protect them against scams that involve the impersonation of Government officials.

Outgoing calls from Government agencies are currently made using different phone numbers, including officials' office landlines and official mobile phones, making it difficult for members of the public to recognise and trust legitimate Government calls, and creates opportunities for scammers to impersonate officials.

In her reply to a parliamentary question filed by first-term MP Shawn Loh (Jalan Besar GRC) on July 7, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo had said that the Government takes the threat of such impersonation scams seriously and is committed to combating calls that undermine public trust in government communications.

She added that the Government is developing systems for all agencies to make calls with numbers that start with a common prefix , with the police piloting this initiative this year.

Police's single caller ID 6000 0999

From Monday, outgoing calls from the police will be made from the single caller ID 6000 0999, followed by an SMS from the "gov.sg" SMS sender identity, informing them of how they may contact the police if they require further assistance.

The number only applies to outgoing calls and cannot be used to receive incoming calls, and cannot be made through messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram.

Members of the public who require further assistance after each call can contact the police via their feedback portal or their feedback hotline at 1800-358-0000.

The single caller ID initiative, starting with the police, will not be the last of the Government's anti-scam measures.

The Government intends to progressively introduce measures to make outgoing calls from other Government agencies more easily recognisable and verifiable by members of the public.

"We are studying the implementation arrangements, taking into account the different operational and service delivery needs of agencies, as well as lessons from SPF’s implementation."

Government official impersonation scams on the rise

While the total number of scam and cybercrime cases fell to 41,974 last year from 55,810 in 2024, the number of GOIS cases more than doubled from 1,504 in 2024 to 3,363 last year.

Correspondingly, the total amount lost by victims of GOIS rose by 60.5 per cent — from $151.3 million in 2024 to $242.9 million last year.

This works out to more than $72,000 lost per case on average last year.

According to the police's annual scam and cybercrime brief published in February, the majority of GOIS victims were aged 65 and above.

Members of the public are reminded that government officials will never ask any one to transfer or hand over valuables such as money, luxury watches, gold or cryptocurrency.

They will also not ask for banking login credentials, installation of mobile applications from unofficial app stores, or transfer calls to the police.

Those who are in doubt can call the 24/7 ScamShield helpline.

作为政府持续加强防范政府官员冒充诈骗（GOIS）措施的一部分，警方将成为第一个推出单一前缀号码（6000 0999）的政府机构，该号码将于 11 月 2 日启用。

新加坡数字发展与新闻部、新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局、开放政府产品公司和警方于周日（11 月 1 日）联合发布新闻稿称，该计划是由他们多部门共同努力制定的。

它旨在帮助公众更容易地识别来自政府机构的合法来电，并更好地保护他们免受冒充政府官员的诈骗行为的侵害。

目前政府机构拨出的电话使用不同的电话号码，包括官员办公室的座机和官方手机，这使得公众难以识别和信任合法的政府电话，也为诈骗分子冒充官员创造了机会。

7月7日，数码发展及新闻部长杨莉明在答复首届国会议员罗绍文（惹兰勿刹集选区）提出的议会质询时表示，政府严肃对待此类冒充诈骗的威胁，并致力于打击破坏公众对政府沟通信任的电话。

她补充说，政府正在开发系统，让所有机构都能使用以共同前缀开头的号码拨打电话，警方今年将率先试点这项举措。

警方的唯一来电显示号码为 6000 0999

从周一开始，警方拨出的电话将使用统一的来电显示号码 6000 0999，随后会收到一条来自“gov.sg”短信发送方的短信，告知他们如果需要进一步的帮助可以如何联系警方。

该号码仅适用于拨出电话，不能用于接听来电，也不能通过 WhatsApp 或 Telegram 等即时通讯应用进行通话。

每次通话后，需要进一步帮助的公众成员可以通过警方的反馈门户网站或拨打反馈热线 1800-358-0000 与警方联系。

政府率先在警方推行的单一来电显示计划，不会是政府反诈骗措施的最后一步。

政府打算逐步推出措施，使公众更容易识别和核实其他政府机构拨出的电话。

“我们正在研究实施安排，同时考虑到各机构不同的运营和服务提供需求，以及新加坡警察部队的实施经验。”

冒充政府官员的诈骗案件日益增多

虽然诈骗和网络犯罪案件总数从 2024 年的 55,810 起下降到去年的 41,974 起，但 GOIS 案件数量却从 2024 年的 1,504 起增加了一倍多，达到去年的 3,363 起。

相应地，GOIS受害者的总损失金额增加了60.5%——从2024年的1.513亿美元增加到去年的2.429亿美元。

这意味着去年平均每起案件损失超过 72,000 美元。

根据警方2月份发布的年度诈骗和网络犯罪简报，GOIS的大多数受害者年龄在65岁及以上。

提醒公众，政府官员绝不会要求任何人转移或交出贵重物品，例如金钱、名表、黄金或加密货币。

他们也不会索要银行登录凭证、从非官方应用商店安装移动应用程序，或将电话转接给警方。

如有疑问，可拨打 24 小时 ScamShield 热线电话。