Ease of accessing NRIC numbers on Acra portal raises concerns

IC numbers of people linked to local firms can be obtained via a search, without paying

- Sandra Davie and Lee Li Ying

Members of the public have raised privacy concerns over being able to access individuals' NRIC numbers on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) portal.

Individuals were able to access the IC numbers of those connected to a Singapore-registered business through a search, without paying, via the newly launched website.

In the past, details such as IC numbers and listed business addresses could be obtained via Acra in a PDF file, for a fee.

The concerns were raised by readers spooked by recent scams, including what happened to a holidaying couple whose bank accounts were blocked, and credit cards cancelled, by identity thieves.

On Dec 11, The Straits Times was alerted to the search feature on the Bizfile portal for business regulations and filings. The portal was launched on Dec 9.

"I found my IC number on Bizfile," said housewife Gina Tan, who checked the portal after a scammer posing as an Interpol officer called her mother and read out her address and IC number.

Believing that the scammers were legitimate because they had her details, her mother almost sent them her own bank details, but was stopped in time by Mrs Tan.

Mrs Tan also found the names and IC numbers of her friends.

Salesman Timothy Chan, 48, who accesses Acra filings regularly in the course of his work, noticed that many people's IC numbers were openly available on Dec 11.