Robocalls Jump 3X As Spam Phone Calls Hit 85 Billion

Spam phones calls hit 85 billion last year, according to a report by anti-phone-spam app Hiya. That's equivalent to 17 spam calls per mobile subscriber globally, given that there are now about five billion mobile subscribers on the planet.

Of course, the problem is much worse in some nations.


Spain is the worst country for phone spam, with 24 percent of all calls being unwanted, says Hiya. That translates to nine spam calls each month. The United States is much better at only 10 percent, with three spam calls per month.

The top 10 countries by phone spam:

  1. Spain:  24%
  2. UK: 22%
  3. Italy: 21%
  4. France: 20%
  5. Argentina: 10%
  6. United States: 10%
  7. Mexico: 9%
  8. Brazil: 9%
  9. Chile: 9%
  10. Australia: 6%

The data comes from Hiya's service, which the company says nearly 60 million people use globally. Hiya says it analyzes 12 billion calls each month, and last year identified 1.3 billion of them as spam.

The top spam scams are local variations of globally-common scams, including one called "Wangiri." In this scam, fraudsters call your phone to leave a message about winning a lottery or drawing. They then entice a call back, which unfortunately is to a premium-rate pay-per-minute phone number. As soon as you call, they win.

Banking scams are also common, as are credit card scams, such as those in which criminals call hotel rooms to "confirm" your credit card details at the "front desk."

If you're wondering why phone scams are growing, it's due to the increased automation that sophisticated fraudsters employee: robocalling hundreds of people simultaneously, then spending time with those who pick up. In addition, fraudsters use VoIP software to mimic local phone numbers, Hiya says, to appear as if they are a local business or person.

In the U.S., robocall spam grew 46 percent last year, and mostly consists of telemarketing, fraud, and general spam. Interestingly, Texas is home to seven of the top ten targeted areas, including Dallas, Austin, and Houston.

"As spam calls continue to skyrocket globally, the demand for protection from unwanted phone calls has increased drastically," said Alex Algard, CEO of Hiya, said in a statement.

The FCC is working to make phone providers implement technology to stop spam calls calls this year, Algard says, or face regulatory intervention.

