[Post 1154] How Are Scam Calls Appearing As Local Numbers? | Talking Point

Summary

Ever received a phone call from a Singapore number that isn’t in your contacts? Scammers are increasingly using numbers that appear local — making their calls harder to spot.

So where are these calls really coming from, and how do scammers make them look Singapore-based? Even as close to 100 million potential scam calls were blocked by telcos and authorities, victims still lost around S$456 million to scams in the first half of 2025.

Talking Point investigates how these scam calls keep getting through — and what needs to be done to stop them.