Genuine text message or one from scammers? Here's how you can tell

Scam messages are on the rise, with at least 17 Land Transport Authority (LTA) phishing cases reported in December and $33,000 lost.

- Carmen Sin

More than half of the cases involved grifters texting victims on online messaging platforms such as Apple's iMessage or Android's Rich Communication Services (RCS), posing as OneMotoring or LTA officials looking to collect unpaid bills, said the police on Dec 19.

The hoax messages often say there is a deadline for payment and contain a link directing victims to phishing sites, where they are prompted to enter their banking and personal details.

The surge follows a slowdown in such scams since the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) scheme began on Jan 31, 2023, to automatically tag all non-registered SMS sender IDs as likely scams.

Consequently, criminals have "pivoted to other means" of executing the same ruse, said the police.

The registry applies only to SMS messages and not online messaging apps, they added.