The latest H1 2024 data from caller ID verification firm Hiya, which also works with broadband ISPs BT (EE) and Virgin Media (O2) to help detect and block SPAM and fraud calls, has revealed that residents of the UK received only 3 spam calls per person each month (down from 4 at the same time last year) – one of the lowest rates in Europe.
Overall, the latest report found that 3% of all UK calls were classified as “fraud calls” (down from 9.3% in H1 2023), while 25% were “nuisance calls” (up from 18%) and the remaining 72% reflected all other (normal) calls – this reflects a spam flag rate of 28% (up from 27.3%). In other words, fewer spam/scam calls are making it past the network-level filtering systems being adopted by various phone providers.
The top sources of scam calls in H1 2023 once again came from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) impersonators, which was followed by those trying to impersonate Amazon and Credit Card companies (i.e. Visa, Mastercard and other credit card companies).
The number of spam or scam calls you’re likely to receive depends a lot on where you live and how much effort has been put into tackling the problem. For example, Germans get just 2 calls per month, while Brazilians endure 26!
In the UK, Ofcom has recently moved to force mobile and fixed line phone providers into adopting stricter measures against “Presentation Numbers” that are used to identify who is making a call, but this won’t be introduced until Spring 2025 (here).