Singapore removes contact details of most public officers from online directory amid rise in scams
This is to safeguard public officers’ contact information amid rising risks of government officials impersonation scams and phishing, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.
A screenshot of the Singapore Government Directory taken on Aug 3, 2026. The directory was updated on Jul 1, 2026, to streamline public officers’ contact information. (Image: Singapore Government Directory)
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SINGAPORE: An online directory for Singapore’s public officers, which is freely accessible to the public in Singapore and overseas, has been pared down from Jul 1 to combat a rise in scam risks.
Previously, the Singapore Government Directory (SGDI) listed the names, email addresses and office telephone numbers of a large number of public officers.
The directory was updated to “streamline” officers’ contact details across the whole of government, a Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) spokesperson said on Monday (Aug 3) in response to CNA’s queries.
It now mainly contains the contact details of political office holders, judicial appointment holders, senior management, and officers at director-level or above and their equivalent, including heads of department.
The changes are intended to better safeguard public officers’ contact information amid rising risks of government official impersonation scams and phishing, said MDDI.
“It will also provide a more consistent and user-friendly experience for the public with clearer and more streamlined listings, as well as more prominent official contact channels,” said the ministry.
Government agencies’ official feedback channels and quality service manager (QSM) contacts have been made more prominent on SGDI, added MDDI.
This is to provide clearer points of contact for enquiries and feedback from the public, who can reach out to agencies through these listings on SGDI, it said.
Checks showed that the name of each agency’s QSM is now prominently listed below the name of the agency, alongside an email address or link to an online feedback form.
Government official impersonation scams more than doubled last year, according to police crime statistics. The number of cases rose 123.6 per cent from 1,504 in 2024 to 3,363 in 2025.
Victims of such scams lost a total of S$242.9 million in 2025, up about 60 per cent from the year before.
This was the second highest in losses among all scam types, and made up more than a quarter of total scam losses of S$913.1 million.
Source: CNA/dv(bg)
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