SMS has always been one of the key communication channels for businesses to reach out to customers. After all, with an open rate of 98% and a response rate of 45%, SMS is well-positioned as an effective customer engagement tool.

However, as SMS continues to grow in popularity, malicious actors are increasingly looking to leverage its vulnerabilities to exploit users.

Case in point: there has been a spate of SMS phishing scams in Singapore, with recorded cases increasing by more than 300 times in four years. Hundreds of OCBC Bank customers suffered a total loss of S$13.7 million, while others at DBS Bank lost a total of S$60,000. In these unfortunate circumstances, victims had received SMS messages with Sender IDs that appeared to be from the banks (such as "DBS-Notice") and directed them to sign in to their accounts via embedded links. The victims would then proceed to divulge their personal details by logging in on the spoofed banking webpage … and viola! That is all that’s needed for the scammers to access their accounts and drain their funds.

While monetary losses from these SMS fraud attacks are hardly something to scoff at, businesses also risk losing customer trust by allowing these spoofed SMS messages to reach them in the first place. It is therefore imperative for businesses to protect customers by protecting their brand and preventing it from getting spoofed. The good news is that you can do so easily by partnering with 8x8 to deliver your SMS messages. Here’s why:

1. 8x8 is an early participant of the IMDA Sender ID Registration Regime (SSIR)

To build a strong defense against SMS fraud, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has implemented the SSIR for Singapore-based businesses and organisations. Under this regime, all businesses will need to register their Sender IDs, and all non-registered Sender IDs will be blocked and messages will not be delivered. Additionally, businesses can only engage participating aggregators licensed by IMDA to deliver these SMS.

8x8 is a participating aggregator of the SSIR, which means that we are licensed to deliver these whitelisted SMS messages to Singapore mobile users. 8x8 will only transmit messages with registered (whitelisted) Sender IDs from authorised businesses, and actively block messages with identified fraudulent (blacklisted) Sender IDs from being delivered.

On top of participating in the SSIR, 8x8 also has a strict internal authorisation process to ensure that all the messages we deliver are authenticated with protected Sender IDs. We are committed to delivering messages securely, so that our customers can have peace of mind when communicating with their own customers.

2. 8x8 has a robust in-house system that actively filters fraudulent Sender IDs

8x8 also has an in-house system that automatically identifies and filters Sender IDs according to whether they are whitelisted, blacklisted, or neither. This prevents the transmission of potentially fraudulent messages. In addition, our system also tags whitelisted Sender IDs to specific customers, allowing us to verify if the requester of the SMS is the authorised sender, hence ensuring that the Sender IDs are not spoofed and therefore safeguarding against SMS fraud.

Furthermore, if the Sender ID has been whitelisted, it is guaranteed that the SMS would be sent through in record time as our team works around the clock to ensure that the traffic is activated in the shortest amount of time. This means that there will not be a delay when you are delivering time-sensitive messages, such as OTPs, to your customers! Other than having minimal downtime, our support team is also contactable 24/7 whenever customers need our help.

Last, but not least, our global compliance engine ensures that we are updated on and adapting to any regulatory changes globally, so that we are always in compliance with local regulatory requirements to safely deliver messages.

3. 8x8 is a Tier-1 SMS aggregator with direct connections to local operators

As a Tier-1 SMS aggregator, 8x8 uses our own direct high-quality connections to local operators in Singapore and all across the globe. This essentially means that we connect directly to mobile phone networks to deliver the SMS, without involving any third parties.

For our customers, this is great news. We have full control over the SMS delivery process as opposed to non Tier-1 aggregators, where there are added layers of external aggregators between themselves and the operator. With full control over the SMS delivery process, we can ensure that all SMS messages are delivered in a timely manner.

Besides knowing that messages are delivered with the fastest speed and most stable connectivity, businesses can also rest assured that the only people who have access to the data exchanged are the SMS provider, 8x8, and the operators—which is not the case if you rely on external parties. That’s a plus for added security!

Power better customer experiences and fight SMS fraud with a trusted platform

At this point, protecting your brand and customers is not just a “nice-to-have,” but it’s an essential part of any customer experience. As SMS fraud increases in scale and intensity, it has become critical for you to ensure that your communications are free of security vulnerabilities. Find out more about our security measures, and how 8x8 can help you deliver secure communications, not just with SMS, but also across multiple channels, including chat apps, video, and voice.