The Q4 2024 Global Call Threat Report from Hiya, which works with broadband ISPs and mobile operators (BT, EE, O2, Virgin Media etc.) to help tackle SPAM and fraud calls, has revealed that UK residents received 4 spam calls per person each month (unchanged from Q3) and the percentage of unknown calls that are spam hit 32% (up from 28%).
Overall, the latest report found that 3% of all UK calls were classified as “fraud calls” (unchanged), while 29% were “nuisance calls” (up from 25%) and the remaining 68% reflected all other (normal) calls – reflecting a spam flag rate of 32% (up from 28%). Generally, fewer spam/scam calls are making it past the network-level filtering systems being adopted by various phone providers, but they aren’t perfect and not everybody uses them.
The good news is that this means the UK has one of the lowest SPAM call rates in Europe, while the proportion of unknown calls that are fraud (3%) is also low compared to other European countries. Similarly, the level of spam and scam calling fell sharply toward the end of 2024, although tax scams impersonating Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were still the most common.
Interestingly, the fourth most commonly reported unwanted calls in Q4 came from mobile phone providers, often offering a discount. Most users reported these as fraud calls, while some reported them as telemarketing, which helps to highlight how difficult it can be to tell the difference.
In addition, 26% of British respondents said they had experienced an audio deepfake, often on a personal or work call. This is a newer class of scam and one that may even involve the use of AI, which in some cases can go so far as to duplicate the voice of a family member in order to sound more authentic. Suffice to say, it’s getting harder to trust modern phone calls.
