A new report from Seattle startup Hiya highlights the ongoing problem of phone fraud and spam calls.
The report found that during the first quarter of this year, nearly 25% of all unknown calls globally were flagged as spam or fraud — that’s 73.6 million per day.
In the U.S., one of every four calls from non-contacts was flagged as spam. The spam and fraud rate decreased from 34.9% in Q4 to 25% in Q1, Hiya reported, though it noted that spam volumes can subside following the holiday season.
A popular auto warranty scam took a steep dive last year after the FCC shut down a major player initiating the calls, Hiya said. The top scams in the U.S. last quarter were related to Medicare, insurance, and mortgage products.
In Europe, 14 of the 20 countries monitored showed an increase in the percentage of calls that were spam and fraud compared to Q4.
Government officials are trying to crack down on these illegal robocalls. The FCC declared the matter a top priority last year and implemented fines and policies to combat fraudulent calls.
In April, Washington state lawmakers passed new legislation to limit robocalls and give residents and the state’s attorney general the ability to sue companies for unsolicited calls. The legislation is part of a broader effort initiated last year by state AG Bob Ferguson to battle the often annoying calls and to aid victims targeted by scams.
Hiya monitored phone spam and fraud in major global markets by gathering data from a “representative sample” of calls on the Hiya Voice Security Network. The network includes Samsung Smart Call devices and the Hiya mobile app.
Hiya, which spun out of Whitepages in 2016, identifies caller ID to help consumers recognize and block spam calls and vishing (voice phishing) attempts. It raised $17 million in 2017, and is ranked No. 36 on the GeekWire 200.
