SCAM check: All calls from CPF Board now come from only one number: 6227 1188

SINGAPORE: The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board announced that since the end of April, it has only been using a single official number for all of its outbound calls: 6227 1188. This allows members to easily verify the authenticity of calls from the CPF Board.

“If you receive a call from another number claiming to be from CPF Board, end the call immediately,” it said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 20), adding that people who are uncertain about whether something is a scam may call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799. More information about this may be found at www.scamshield.gov.sg.

The public is urged to check that SMS messages are sent from the official gov.sg SMS Sender ID, as this would verify their authenticity.

In its announcement, the CPF Board warned that scammers can pretend to be government officials and even cite personal information, such as the names or National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers of those they’re speaking to, in order to appear legitimate.

“Don’t be fooled,” it added, also emphasising that on a phone call, government agencies would never ask a person to transfer money, disclose bank login details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer a call to the Police.

Choosing to use a single number for all outbound calls is part of a Singapore-wide effort to combat Government Official Impersonation Scams.

If a person misses a call from the CPF Board, they will be sent an official SMS or an email from an address ending with @cpf.gov.sg or @e.cpf.gov.sg containing details for calling back.

6227 1188 is listed on CPFB’s website (cpf.gov.sg/antiscamtips) and has also been whitelisted in the ScamShield application.

The CPF Board is strengthening efforts to enhance security across CPF digital services. For online CPF nominations, meanwhile, members are being required to carry out enhanced authentication using biometrics as an additional safeguard from this month onward.

“These measures are in addition to the CPF Board’s existing suite of anti-scam measures, which includes the CPF Withdrawal Lock, as well as enhanced authentication and a 12-hour cooling period for increases to the Daily Withdrawal Limit (DWL) for online withdrawals, and updates to registered bank account information or contact details,” the CPF Board said.

In October, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Police issued a joint statement saying that victims lost at least $6.7 million in total in over 100 cases of government official and banker impersonation scams in the previous month. /TISG

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