At least 14 spam calls every month
Voice security company Hiya announced the results of its latest research on phone fraud and spam at its State of the Call summit last week. According to the company, 25 percent of the unknown phone calls people receive each month are unsolicited calls, and the average person receives at least 14 spam calls each month.
The study was conducted between January 1 and June 30, 2023. While 98 billion phone calls were analyzed in the study, it also shed light on phone frauds. It has been determined that one of the biggest crimes committed by fraudsters is insurance fraud. Many scammers calling cell phone users this year are trying to sell people non-existent life insurance, health insurance and more, or claiming they owe money on a previous bill from one of the companies involved.
Artificial intelligence is used in spam calls
On the other hand, the study shows that the UK has the highest spam call rate with 28 percent, followed by the USA with 27 percent and Canada with 20 percent. It’s not just phone calls you have to worry about. The report states that both SMS and MMS messages are also used to defraud mobile phone users.
Now more than ever, it’s important to be careful when answering calls and messages from unknown people, and to be skeptical of giving out any usernames or financial information over the phone. Most smartphones now also have anti-spam settings in their calling and messaging apps. Although these do not prevent everything, activating them will improve the quality of life.