How does SMS filtering work on the ScamShield app?
The ScamShield app automatically detects and filters scam SMSes that come through your mobile network. These messages are identified as scams based on its algorithm or after authorities review and block suspicious senders reported by users. It doesn't filter messages from third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram due to privacy regulations.
Messages from legitimate businesses registered with IMDA SSIR or from your saved contacts are automatically considered safe.
If a new scam variant slips past the filter and lands in your inbox, you can report it directly through the Submit a Scam Report feature in the app. This allows ScamShield to capture emerging scam tactics that the algorithm may not have recognised yet.
Once the report for this new scam variant SMS is received, authorities will review it and mark the sender as a scam if it is assessed to be suspicious. The review process may take some time depending on the number of reports received and the nature of ongoing scam trends.
If assessed to be suspicious, the sender will be marked as a scam and related phone numbers may be blocked. This information will help to improve the ScamShield algorithm to better identify and filter similar scam messages in the future.
This information will then be used to update the ScamShield algorithm and identify similar messages as scam. The sender will also be marked as scam and any related phone number will also be subsequently blocked.
After submitting the scam report, you may check if the message has been blocked or marked as scam by using our Check for Scams feature ("A message you received").
How ScamShield SMS filtering works on Android
Kindly note that the ScamShield app does not filter SMSes on Android. However, it does send a notification any time a suspicious SMS is sent to your inbox from an unknown sender. This is due to current system limitations on Android devices, which restrict third-party apps like ScamShield from directly filtering SMS messages.
How ScamShield SMS filtering works on iOS
Kindly note that the ScamShield app only filters SMSes that are considered suspicious to the iOS Junk Messages folder.
To identify an SMS that was filtered by the ScamShield app, look for the label 'Filtered by ScamShield' below the SMS in your Junk inbox.
Scam messages on WhatsApp/ Telegram and other third-party messaging apps
Do note that the ScamShield app cannot block messages on platforms such as WhatsApp / Telegram due to privacy limitations because of encryption.
In this case, we encourage you to report such scam messages anyway so that the senders may be reviewed by authorities and blocked from messaging users on a cellular level.
By reporting, you are keeping yourself and the rest of the ScamShield community safe from such scams.
Need more info? Here are some FAQs that might help:
Are there any privacy concerns with using the ScamShield app?
Will I still be able to see the SMSes that have been filtered?
How do I know SMS filtering is enabled on my phone?
If you believe a number has been wrongly blocked, you can call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for help to get it unblocked.
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