KYC- and OTP-related scams up, unwanted calls down

Despite a 34% decrease in the volume of spam calls during lockdown, India continues to find place in the top 10 list of most spammed countries

- SOMA TAH

2020 has been a trying year for most of us. It has also been a big lesson for many. With the countries going into lockdowns after the coronavirus outbreak, we have seen businesses and people look for new ways to solve complex problems, to reach and connect with teams, no matter who they are and where they work.

These factors not only had an impact on people’s communication behaviour, but also the patterns of spam and scams around the world as well, reveals a recent report by Truecaller. According to the company, it helped users identify 145 billion incoming and outgoing calls and 13.8 billion spam SMSs globally between January and October 2020.

The spam reached its lowest point in April 2020 when strict curfews and lockdowns were implemented worldwide. The overall volume of calls also dipped during this period. The strict lockdown measures implemented in the country earlier this year made it impossible for telemarketers to go to work, or utilize the equipment they need to carry out large scale spam campaigns. However, from this point, reports of scammers taking advantage of the uncertainty around the pandemic emerged. In May, spam calls started to pick up again and have been increasing on average by 9.7% per month. October this year was the record high in terms of spam calls. It was 22.4% higher compared to pre-lockdown.

In May, spam calls started to pick up again and have been increasing on average by 9.7% per month. October this year was the record high in terms of spam calls.

India among top 10 most spammed countries