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Singapore: Government proposes full SMS Sender ID registration to enhance protection against scams

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In brief

As part of an ongoing approach to combat scams, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (“IMDA“) has proposed new measures to reduce the ability of scammers to spoof their identity by using the same alphanumeric sender identification (“SMS Sender ID”) used by bona fide businesses. To further enhance consumer protection, the IMDA intends to make Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (“SSIR“) registration mandatory for organisations who wish to use SMS Sender IDs.

Organisations using SMS Sender IDs must register with the SSIR using their Unique Entity Number (“UEN“) and aggregators handling SMS with Sender IDs must also participate in the SSIR and verify organisations via their UENs.  

Subject to the feedback collected via public consultation, the proposed period for the full SSIR registration requirement to take place is December 2022. Organisations that continue to utilise the SMS channel as a means of communicating with customers should take note of the timeline.

The pilot SSIR regime was first launched in August 2021. Due to an increase in scam messages, the setting up of the SSIR was accelerated earlier this year. Organisations that wish to protect their Sender IDs may voluntarily register with the SSIR, which in turn, acts as a central repository for the registration of Sender IDs. The SSIR aims to reduce the number of scam messages by blocking SMS that spoofs registered Sender IDs.

As registration with the SSIR is not mandatory, the level of protection against scam SMS is not yet optimal. As such, the IMDA intends to make registration mandatory for all organisations that choose to use Sender IDs. In other words, all non-registered Sender IDs will be blocked as a default. Currently, the public can still receive messages from non-registered Sender IDs (which may be from organisations that have yet to register with the SSIR).

Under the full SSIR regime, both local and foreign organisations must present a valid identification (i.e. the UEN). The registration fees with the SSIR are as follows:

  • One-time set up fee of SGD 500
  • SGD 1,000 a year for up to 10 Sender IDs

Aggregators who handle SMS with Sender IDs must first obtain the relevant licence(s) from IMDA, in particular, the Service-Based Operations (Class) licence.

Timeline

Subject to feedback collected during the public consultation phase (which ended on 9 September 2022), IMDA intends to launch the full SSIR regime by December 2022, with a transition period starting in October 2022.

Read the other measures introduced to combat SMS-phishing scams in our earlier newsletter here.

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For further information and to discuss what this development might mean for you, please get in touch with your usual Baker McKenzie contact.

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Andy Leck is the head of the Intellectual Property and Technology (IPTech) Practice Group and a member of the Dispute Resolution Practice Group in Singapore. He is a core member of Baker McKenzie's regional IP practice and also leads the Myanmar IP Practice Group. Andy is recognised by reputable global industry and legal publications as a leader in his field. He was named on "The A-List: Singapore's Top 100 lawyers" by Asia Business Law Journal 2018. In addition, Chambers Asia Pacific notes that Andy is "a well-known IP practitioner who is highlighted for his record of handling major trade mark litigation, as well as commercial exploitation of IP rights in the media and technology sectors. He's been in the industry for a long time and has always been held in high regard. He is known to be very fair and is someone you would like to be in the trenches with you during negotiations." Furthermore, Asian Legal Business acknowledges Andy as a leading practitioner in his field and notes that he “always gives good, quick advice, [is] client-focused and has strong technical knowledge for his areas of practice.” Andy was appointed by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) as an IP Adjudicator to hear disputes at IPOS for a two-year term from April 2021. He has been an appointed member of the Singapore Copyright Tribunal since May 2010 and a mediator with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. He is also appointed as a Notary Public & Commissioner for Oaths in Singapore. He previously served on the International Trademark Association’s Board of Directors and was a member of the executive committee.

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Ren Jun Lim is a principal with Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow. He represents local and international clients in both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters. He also advises on a full range of healthcare, as well as consumer goods-related legal and regulatory issues. Ren Jun co-leads Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow's Healthcare as well as Consumer Goods & Retail industry groups. He sits on the Law Society of Singapore IP Committee and on the Executive Committee of the Association of Information Security Professionals. He is also a member of the Vaccines Working Group, Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, a member of the International Trademark Association, as well as a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Association. Ren Jun is ranked in the Silver tier for Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation and Individuals: Prosecution and Strategy, and a recommended lawyer for Individuals: Transactions by WTR 1000, 2020. He is also listed in Asia IP's Best 50 IP Expert, 2020, recognised as a Rising Star by Managing IP: IP Stars, 2019 and one of Singapore's 70 most influential lawyers aged 40 and under by Singapore Business Review, 2016. Ren Jun was acknowledged by WTR 1000 as a "trademark connoisseur who boasts supplementary knowledge of regulatory issues in the consumer products industry." He was also commended by clients for being "very responsive to enquiries and with a keen eye for detail, he is extremely hands-on. His meticulous and in-depth approach to strategising is key to the excellent outcomes we enjoy."

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Ken Chia is a member of the Firm’s IP Tech, International Commercial & Trade and Competition Practice Groups. He is regularly ranked as a leading TMT and competition lawyer by top legal directories, including Chambers Asia Pacific and Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Ken is an IAPP Certified International Privacy Professional (FIP, CIPP(A), CIPT, CIPM) and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

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Abe is a principal in our Singapore office. His main areas of practice include patents, trade secrets, copyright, and transactional IP for international and domestic clients. With over eleven years of legal experience as a lawyer and over ten years of technical experience as an engineer in the US and Canada, Abe is able to provide commercially oriented legal and technology-specific advice on a wide range of IP issues. Before joining our Singapore office in 2016, Abe was a lawyer in our Baker McKenzie offices in the US (where he passed the US patent bar examination and qualified as a US Registered Patent Attorney (limited recognition)) and Thailand.

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