New Study Reveals Alarming Increase in Spam Call Statistics

You are not alone if you've been getting spam calls and texts lately. Due to improved technology and communication, scammers and spam calls plague individuals daily. The good news is that technology is helping us combat spam calls, and the 2023 statistics may mark a turning point. 

Spam calls are becoming more common, irritating, and scamming consumers, as there was a 118 % rise in scam calls in 2021 compared to 2020. This surge is likely due to robocalls, which allow fraudsters to make numerous calls without fear of getting detected.

In this article, you'll get the most current and trendiest spam call statistics. Learn how to protect your data, money, and yourself from spam calls in this digital era.

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While most spam calls and text are unwelcome advertising, many may be risky. Scammers frequently call or send spam to unwary victims, and regrettably, these dirty tactics may be successful. Below are some facts:

• One spammer in India made over 200 million calls in 2021.
• Neighborhood spoofing is currently in 70% of fraudulent calls.
• An average spam call can last up to 45 seconds.
• The longest recorded spam call was 5 minutes, and 28 seconds.
• Sixty-three% of Americans fear they may miss a legit call and fear it might be spam. 
• A typical spam call damages victims $577.
• Telemarketing was responsible for 25% of robocalls.
• In 2020, the United Kingdom was the fourth most-spammed nation.

An Overview of Spam Calling Statistics

Spam calls are obnoxious, frustrating, and aggravating. They are, however, risky. It's pretty unsafe. Spam calls are usually frauds designed to get sensitive personal information such as your Social Security information, ID number, credit card details, or worse, even your life savings. Here is an interesting statistic about spam calls:

Spam Calls by Country Statistics

Spam call frequency differs from country to country. Here are some statistics to back that up.

1. The United States accounts for 25.35 % of all spam worldwide. 

(Zippia)

The United States alone is responsible for over twenty-five% of all spam globally. Other culprits include the Russian Federation generating 19.84 %, Germany at 7.36 %, the Netherlands at 4.53 %, and France at only 4 %. However, the United States and Russia comprise approximately fifty % of all spam. 

2. In 2020, The United Kingdom was the 4th most-spammed country. 

(Comparitech)

There was a growth of 159% in scams and spam calls in 2020 in the UK, according to Truecaller. Sales calls were only 48%, and the remaining 59% were absolute fraud. According to the National Accident Helpline, one out of five UK residents still suffer from cold-called daily. 

3. The most-targeted location in the UK for spam calls is Yorkshire. 

(National Accident Helpline)

According to the National Accident Helpline, consumers in Humber and Yorkshire get more scams spam calls than anybody else in the UK. 66% are cold-called frequently, with 20% getting more than a single call daily. (National Accident Helpline)

4. In Brazil, residents receive an average of one spam call every day.

(First Orion)

Leading in the world for most spam callers per person is Brazil. Brazilians answered calls on an average of 32.9 per individual in a month in 2021.Fake kidnapping is one of the common scams in Brazil. The scammer would pretend to be a family member calling and asking for money to pay off their so-called kidnappers. 

5. According to T-Mobile, there are particular areas in the US where scammers are more common than others in 2021. 

(Comparitech)

The 2021 Scam Shield Report by T-Mobile revealed that residents from Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia received the most scam calls compared to other locations in the US. Dallas and Fort Worth received the most. The top area codes targeted by the scammers in the country are 214, 832, 210, and 817.

6. Spam calls and fraud are major problems in the global market, reaching 655 million weekly. 

(Hiya)

Hiya recently published the Global Threat Report that presented 655 million spam calls in 2022. The report includes spam call rates in 38 countries observed by Hiya in the last quarter of 2022. The information includes each country's spam, fraud, and nuisance rates.

In the last quarter of 2022, there was an increase in spam calls flagged. And in the week of October 17-22, 2022, Hiya flagged 655 million spam calls. These numbers are from increased calls and more accurate spam detection growth.

7. The US saw a 56% increase in spam calls in 2021. Robocalls accounted for 60% of all calls. 

 (Businesswire)

In 2021, 78.9 billion robocalls stormed Americans. There was a slight growth from 2020 but below the robocalls during the pre-pandemic height in 2019, reaching 106.9 billion. The Eight Edition of the Transaction Network Services (TNS) Robocall Investigation Report disclosed the report.

These statistics reveal that spam calls are rampant worldwide, affecting financial loss to its residents. Most scammers bought the phone numbers of residents in these countries. They attempted to defraud in several ways, posing as government agents or professionals. 

• USA: spam calls 35%; fraud 9%
• UK: spam calls 28%; fraud 13%
• Canada: spam calls 21%; fraud 6 %
• France: spam calls 43%; fraud 2%;
• Germany: spam calls 21%; fraud 0.21%;
• Spain: spam calls 44%; fraud 5%;

Unwanted calls damage consumer confidence in their preferred communication device, the phone, making it more difficult for genuine, reputable firms to contact them by phone. This seriously impacts business, customer service, and other crucial areas. 

8. Indonesia has a more personalized and accurate way of targeting victims to phone scams by researching their target's background and financial history. 

(EarthWeb, SOCRadar)

Indonesia has been ranked in sixth place in the Truecaller Global Span Report for the year 2021. The top 20 countries on the list are those that generate the most spam. From January to October 2021, there was a more than twofold increase in the number of unsolicited calls in Indonesia, making it one of just two countries to see such an increase.

Furthermore, financial services accounted for 80% of all spam calls in Indonesia in 2021, while sales calls accounted for only 19%.  Another significant phishing data point for Indonesia is that spam calls have more than doubled by 2021. 

9. 79% of US residents receive spam calls they believe have an overseas origin because of an automated voice or a distinct solid accent. 

(HelpNetSecurity)

US residents who experienced unsolicited calls know that the people on the other line mostly have loud accents that indicate these spam calls come from another country. Their accents are so distinct that the receiver of the call can immediately identify they're not Americans as they claim to be. 

Spam Call Growth Statistics

More and more people are receiving unwanted and, more often, fake phone calls that are becoming more and more of a problem. Knowing the rising numbers of spam calls is favorable to understanding how this global problem has developed vastly.

10. Users received 31.3 billion spam calls worldwide between January and October. 

(Techcrunch)

Spam calls continued to swindle people globally despite efforts by carriers, telecom officials, mobile operating system developers, smartphone makers, and a global pandemic. Truecaller reports 31.3 billion spam calls worldwide from January to October. 2022’s 26 billion was up from 17.7 billion in 2023. 

The typical American received 28.4 spam calls monthly, up from 18.2 last year. Brazil has the most spam calls, 49.9 per user per month, up from 45.6 last year. The company's annual report says such.

Cost of Spam Call Statistics 

Many people is receiving phone calls from unknown Caller ID  and it’s becoming a serious problem. Knowing the rising numbers of spam calls is favorable to understanding how this global problem has developed vastly.

11. The average money lost due to "vishing" increased by 43% in 2021. 

(Earth Web)

Vishing is also called "voice phishing." According to the report, an average American lost money of about 502 USD in 2021 due to vishing. It's an increase from a loss of 351 USD in 2020. 2021 also has the highest record of money lost because of voice phishing. 

12. In 2021, businesses lost an average of $5.8 billion to fraud. 

(Federal Trade Commission)

According to the Federal Trade Commission, American customers lost $5.8 billion due to scams, compared to $3.4 billion for 2020 (an over 70% rise). About 2.8 million people contacted the FTC about fraud in 2021, the highest number since 2001. The typical victim lost $500 due to these frauds, which amounted to almost 25% of all losses.

2021 fraud cost consumers $5.8 billion, according to FTC figures. 75% more than the year before. And there were more than 2.8 million people who lost money through online shopping scams and identity theft. The top five scams were internet services, prizes, sweepstakes, lotteries, and business or job opportunities. FTC raised concerns about fraud, identity theft, credit, banks, and lenders.

13. Email spam loss is estimated at 20.5 billion USD annually. 

(Comparitech)

This impressive number reveals how spam has caused businesses to spend less on production and more on technology. Nucleus Research says that the average annual employee cost was around $1,934. This spam data shows how big the spam business is around the world. Estimates show that the damage could hit $257 billion in a few years if it keeps growing at this rate. 

14. In 2021, there were 59.49 million Americans who lost their money to scam calls. 

(Comparitech)

Around 59.49 million people in the United States fell victim to scam calls in 2021. This is a significant increase compared to 56 million in 2018 and 43 million in 2019. This is, nevertheless, the greatest number that has been reported since the investigation into scam and spam calls in the United States began in 2014.

The overall amount of money wasted on scam calls in the United States has considerably increased over the previous seven years. Scam calls are responsible for losing an astounding $9.8 billion over 12 months. This figure represents a 49.7% rise compared to the $9.7 billion lost during 2020. 

15. In 2022, there has been a 14.9% rise in the estimated loss due to scam calls on average. 

(TrueCaller)

The average amount of money lost by people who were victimized by fraudulent phone calls was $577. Compared to 2021's total of $502, this is a spike of 14.9%. Even though there was a general decrease in the amount of money lost to phone scammers between 2015 and 2019, 2022 has registered a record-high amount of money stolen. 

Spam Call Fraud Statistics

Spam call fraud is a problem that is getting worse, affecting millions of people and billions of money worldwide yearly. Fraudsters create several tricks to steal personal and financial information through phishing and robocalls. Here is data showing how many fall victim to their criminal tactics: 

16. Americans received 18 spam or fraud calls per month. (Enterprise Apps Today)

 (Comparitech)

The spam call fraud issue affects anyone with a phone number, regardless of age or geographic area. In 2021, Americans got an estimated 18 spam calls monthly, based on Hiya's 2022 State of the Call Report. 

Hiya and Gabb's working together brings the industry's most sophisticated call security service, Adaptive AI, onto the Gabb Wireless Phone in addition to upcoming models and, most significantly, offers an essential layer of security for children so that they are only connected with in the manner intended

17. Men are more likely to be fraud victims than women

(Enterprise App Today)

Younger men are more prone to be fraud victims than women. About 40% of men aged 18-34 and 46 % aged 35-44 fall victim to phone scams yearly. Only 31 % of women aged 18 and 34 and 25% aged 35 to 44 became victims of fraud. 

18. 85 % of doorstep fraud victims are over 65 years old. 

 (Legal Jobs)

Doorstep scammers are not persuasive and quickly get older people's trust with their friendliness and politeness. They scam when they come to your door for your money or to gain access to your home.

Robocall Statistics

Robocalls are automated phone calls, and they play pre-recorded texts. Robocalls are often in telemarketing and even in political campaigns. And robocalls are also growing at an increasing rate. It's critical to know how common they are and what they do to stop these unwanted calls to protect everyone from fraud and scams. 

19. In 2021, T-Mobile's robocall statistics revealed that scam attempts snowballed by 116%. 

(Enterprise Apps Today) 

T-Mobile issued its 2021 year-end study on Robocalls and Scams, and T-Mobile Scam Shield recognized or stopped over 21 billion fraudulent calls in 202 or above 700 calls per second. Scam attempts soared by 116% throughout 2021.

Scammers and spammers pushed more tirelessly than ever in 2021, as fraudulent calls remained the FCC's top complaint. These scammers are expected to cost US telecom customers $29.8 billion in 2021 alone. 

20. Americans received almost 31 mobile or landline spam or robocalls each month. And 21.5% of these calls were unwanted robocalls on average. 

According to Truecaller's Insights 2021 U.S. Spam and Scam Report in collaboration with The Harris Poll, phone scams cost Hispanics a significant amount of money in the overall market. 

Scammers are busiest during the holiday season as their Hispanic victims are more generous and vulnerable. According to the report, the most common scams they use for Hispanics are charitable, false delivery packages, and immigration scams. (Help Net Security)

Percentage of money loss due to robocall by race

• Hispanic - 74 %
• Caucasian - 75 %
• African American - 43 %

21. In 2021, Robocalls made up 60% of calls 

 (Help Net Security) 

There was a 56 % increase in 2021 the number of spam calls. Sixty % of these calls were unwanted robocalls. Unwanted robocalls are annoying, but there's a great possibility of losing the customer's hard-earned money and personal information.

22. FCC stated that 65 % of voice service providers identified as transmitting illegal robocalls could result in removal from the Robocall Mitigation Database. 

(GetVOIP)

Removal from the Robocall Mitigation Database would prevent them from completing customers' calls because it would only be possible for them to pass to other networks. 

Conclusion

According to spam call data, fraudulent and misleading calls are getting more common. Despite the fact that some organizations utilize them for good purposes, the rise in abuse is concerning. 

Customers can protect themselves by using a spam call filtering tool or using the security features provided by their network provider. To remedy the issue, governments should step up mitigating measures against suspected spam calls.