About the ScamShield Bot
Check and Report scams via the Bot on WhatsApp
Received a scam message or call? Now you can check or report a scam directly to the Singapore Police Force via the official ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp at https://go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot
The ScamShield Bot is the latest scam-fighting product developed by Open Government Products in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force and the National Crime Prevention Council.
What is the ScamShield bot?
The ScamShield Bot enables users to conveniently report scams received from across multiple platforms directly to the Singapore Police Force, and to let users easily check whether a message or call is a scam, all within WhatsApp.
Why use the ScamShield Bot?
Use the Bot to find out if something is a scam so that you can protect yourself and loved ones from suspicious messages, websites/ links, and other contact IDs.
The Bot is the authoritative way to check for scams, as reports received through ScamShield are reviewed by the Singapore Police Force.
Thus, by reporting to the ScamShield Bot, you’ll be helping to protect the broader community in Singapore from the same scams.
How to check a suspicious message or call to the Bot?
To check whether a message is a scam, send the scammer’s message or contact info to the Bot via the following methods:
- Copy the text
- Send a screenshot of the message
- Forward a message from another WhatsApp chat
You can also check suspicious calls by copying the caller’s phone number to the Bot.
How to report a suspicious message or call to the Bot?
In 3 steps, you can report a suspected message or call directly to the Singapore Police Force.
For Message reports:
- Forward or send a copy or screenshot of the message (received from any platform)
- Send the scammer’s contact info
- Indicate where the message was received
For Call reports:
- Provide the Caller’s number or ID
- Write a description of the call
- Indicate where the call was received
What happens after you submit a report to the ScamShield Bot?
When you report a scam:
- Your reports are sent to the Singapore Police Force for review.
- When the SPF blocks suspicious numbers, the ScamShield App will then detect scam SMSes from these numbers, and block their calls.
- Your report also help others spot scams whenever they check for a scam on the Bot.
What features can I expect on the ScamShield Bot?
Besides checking and reporting on the bot, here are some of the things you can do and experience:
- Crowdsourced Information: When checking whether something is a scam, for messages or calls that have previously been reported, the ScamShield Bot can tell you how many others have also reported a similar message or contact.
- Machine Learning Classifier: For certain checked messages, the ScamShield Bot will use a machine learning classifier to determine whether the message content has been used by scammers before or whether the message contains URL links that likely lead to a scam website.
- Forward messages: For scam messages received on WhatsApp, you can simply forward the suspicious message from another chat directly to the ScamShield Bot, and the forwarded message can be immediately checked or reported to the SPF.
- Send screenshots: You can screenshot messages and send them to the ScamShield Bot. The Bot uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to convert the screenshot from a picture to a text. This provides you another way to send messages to the Bot beyond copying or forwarding.
- See my stats: You are able to see the impact that you’ve made by reporting on the ScamShield Bot. By clicking on ‘See my stats’ or typing out ‘stats’ to the Bot, you can find out how many reports you’ve submitted, how many times your reports have helped others check if something is a scam, and how many numbers, contacts, or links have been confirmed a scam as a result of your reports.
- Getting help: If you are ever confused or lost, simply type out ‘help’ into the bot and a list of commands will be displayed to help you navigate directly to different features.