22 May 2026
SOURCE: CPF Board
Scam protection is not something you have to tackle alone. We can all do our part to help look out for each other – even younger family members help protect their loved ones from scams. A crucial step is being aware of all the ways to safeguard your retirement savings from scammers.
Scammers rarely give you time to think, and that's by design. By creating a false sense of urgency, they pressure you into giving up sensitive information or making a hasty transaction. This is why being proactive about adopting anti-scam measures to safeguard your hard-earned savings can make all the difference.
By utilising CPF’s anti-scam measures, you can take a more active role in protecting your retirement savings. Take this short quiz to see just how familiar you are with these measures!
1. You receive a call from an unknown number, and the caller claims to be from CPF Board. They claim that your CPF account has been compromised, and that you must make an immediate withdrawal and transfer that money to a separate bank account for safekeeping or risk losing your hard-earned retirement income. Do you make that withdrawal?
Please choose the answer you think is correct.
Think twice! CPF Board will never ask you to make such withdrawals and transfers.
CPF Board will also only contact you through these official channels:
- Calls from CPF Board will only be made from 6227 1188.
SMSes will only be sent from "gov.sg" sender ID.
Sender's email address will end with @cpf.gov.sg or @e.cpf.gov.sg. Check that the email address is spelt correctly.
Our official business account. The WhatsApp sender is "CPF Board Text Us" with the blue verified tick.
Correct! If someone claims to be a government official or from CPF Board and tries to convince you to make a hasty decision about your CPF savings, pause and check first.
When in doubt, STOP and CHECK with 24/7 ScamShield anti-scam helpline via 1799.
2. What does the CPF Withdrawal Lock do?
Please choose the answer you think is correct.
This is incorrect. The CPF Withdrawal Lock does not restrict access to all CPF accounts.
Instead, it sets the Daily Withdrawal Limit to $0, preventing all online withdrawals. So if you do not need to withdraw immediately, you can consider activating the CPF Withdrawal Lock to better safeguard your CPF savings.
You can deactivate the CPF Withdrawal Lock by increasing the online Daily Withdrawal Limit to your desired amount (up to the maximum withdrawal limit). However, for security reasons, increasing the Daily Withdrawal Limit requires 12 hours to take effect and may require enhanced authentication.
Correct! CPF members aged 55 and above can set a Daily Withdrawal Limit to determine the maximum daily amount they can withdraw online from their CPF. You can set the limit to any amount you desire, up to a maximum amount of $50,000. With the CPF Withdrawal Lock in place, your Daily Withdrawal Limit is set to $0, preventing online withdrawals. If you do not need to withdraw immediately, you can consider activating the CPF Withdrawal Lock to better safeguard your CPF savings.
If you need to make a withdrawal at a later date, all you need to do is to deactivate the CPF Withdrawal Lock by increasing the Daily Withdrawal Limit. However, as a safety measure, any increase in the Daily Withdrawal Limit will require 12 hours to take effect, and may require enhanced authentication.
3. True or False: if you appoint a Trusted Contact, the person can perform CPF transactions on your behalf.
Please choose the answer you think is correct.
This is incorrect. The Trusted Contact service is a notification service. Your Trusted Contact cannot access your CPF account or make any changes to your account, including making transactions on your behalf.
However, if you’re worried about overlooking any suspicious transactions on your CPF savings and find an extra ‘pair of eyes’ useful, the Trusted Contact service is right up your alley.
When you appoint a Trusted Contact, they will also receive the same copy of key CPF notifications for some transactions (not all of them!), such as CPF lump sum withdrawals and updates to contact details , bank account and daily withdrawal limit . They will not be able to view your CPF account details beyond what’s included in the notification itself.
You can learn more about the Trusted Contact notification service and the CPF Safety Switch feature to keep your or your loved ones’ CPF accounts safe from scams.
Correct! The Trusted Contact service allows your Trusted Contact to receive the same copy of certain important CPF notifications from your transactions. This does not give them access to your account or allow them to make any transactions on your behalf. They also cannot view your CPF account details beyond what’s included in the notification itself.
Remember, the choice to appoint a Trusted Contact is entirely voluntary. However, if you do go ahead to appoint one, take note that your Trusted Contact also needs to accept your appointment. Hence, it would be helpful to have a conversation beforehand to gauge their comfort level, and to alert them to accept their appointment once the appointment request is submitted.
Check out the Trusted Contacts page for more information.
4. What is the Safety Switch meant for?
Please choose the answer you think is correct.
This is incorrect. The CPF Safety Switch does not identify scammers. Instead, it is a security feature that allows members aged 55 and above to immediately secure your CPF account if you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a scam. It does so by stopping any in-progress withdrawals meant to be credited to your registered bank account, while disabling access to CPF online services through the CPF website and mobile app.
That’s right. The CPF Safety Switch is a security feature that allows members aged 55 and above to immediately secure your CPF account if you suspect you have fallen victim to a scam.
Upon activating the CPF Safety Switch, any in-progress withdrawals will be stopped and your access to CPF online services through the CPF website and mobile app will be disabled. All future withdrawals will also be disallowed, thereby preventing scammers from getting access to both your personal information and retirement savings.
You can learn more about the CPF Safety Switch feature here.
5. True or False: there are multiple numbers that CPF Board can call you from.
Please choose the answer you think is correct.
This is incorrect. Calls from CPF Board will only come from a single number: 6227 1188, which is listed on CPF Board's website (cpf.gov.sg/antiscamtips) and has been whitelisted in the ScamShield application.
If unsure whether it is a scam, members can call the 24/7 ScamShield anti-scam helpline via 1799 to verify.
Correct! Calls from CPF Board will only come from 6227 1188, which is listed on CPF Board's website (cpf.gov.sg/antiscamtips) and has been whitelisted in the ScamShield application.
Other channels that CPF Board uses include:
Emails: Sender's email address will end with @cpf.gov.sg or @e.cpf.gov.sg. Please ensure that the email address is correct before engaging with its contents.
SMSes: SMSes will only come from the gov.sg sender ID.
WhatsApp: The only official CPF WhatsApp account is "CPF Board Text Us", with the blue verified tick.
If unsure whether it is a scam, members can call the 24/7 ScamShield anti-scam helpline via 1799 to verify.
Scams can be difficult to spot in the heat of the moment, but with the right knowledge and resources at your disposal, you can identify them before any damage is done. The suite of CPF anti-scam measures will support you in spotting scams and safeguarding your CPF savings. When in doubt, don’t be hasty, and always make sure to double check before you make a decision!
To learn more about CPF’s anti-scam measures, you can check out the following link:
Information in this article is accurate as at the date of publication.
