S'pore proposes ASEAN-first tool to trace scam calls across borders

Mechanism works by following a suspicious call, SMS backwards across multiple networks

- Lee Li Ying Correspondent

Singapore has mooted the region's first mechanism that allows countries in the 11-member ASEAN to trace the origin of a scam call or SMS.

Such a framework will help Southeast Asian countries better tackle scams at the point they originate, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.

As scammers attempt to hide behind spoofed numbers or across multiple networks, traceback mechanisms work by following a suspicious call or message backwards through multiple telecommunications networks. This can be done using call detail records, which are data logs containing information such as the routing path and network identifiers.

"This traceback mechanism that we have proposed requires international cooperation, because it clearly doesn't concern only the networks in Singapore. It concerns networks in other jurisdictions," Mrs Teo said in a wrap-up interview on Jan 16 after the sixth ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting held in Hanoi.

She added that Singapore will be keen to share information if a scam text or call originates from the Republic, and hopes its regional counterparts can reciprocate.