The volume of unsolicited calls and messages, otherwise called spam has increased globally. This is according to Truecaller’s annual report. According to the report, Nigeria emerged as one of the top countries affected by spam calls and SMS in the world.
The average Truecaller user in Nigeria received 8.4 spam calls per month, which is 20% higher than last year. Also, an average Truecaller user in Nigeria received 30 spam messages every month.
The report also disclosed that telecom operators were the top spammers in Nigeria as they used the contact details of their customers to sell their data plans, promotions, and so on. Other categories of spam calls and messages include Robo-calls, telemarketing and financial service providers, amongst others.
More details: As illustrated on the graph, Brazil topped the list, with the average Truecaller user receiving 45.6 spam calls monthly. After Brazil followed Peru and Indonesia at 30.9 and 27.9 spam calls respectively, then Mexico and Chile, USA, Russia, Colombia and Canada. The other continent which featured prominently was Asia, with countries like Indonesia, India, UAE, Sri Lanka, Israel, Lebanon and Malaysia.
Apart from Nigeria, other African countries which were included as part of the countries affected by spam calls and messages are South Africa and Egypt.
[READ MORE: Truecaller responds to breaching Nigerians’ privacy rights]
What you should know: The Truecaller Insights Report is a yearly report which is collated anonymously from incoming calls that were either marked as spam by users or have automatically been flagged by Truecaller during the period of January 1st to October 30th.
Globally, the volume of spam calls grew by 18% this year, as users worldwide received a total of 26 billion spam calls between the stipulated time.
About Truecaller: Truecaller was initially conceived as a call blocking app, filtering spam numbers from users’ call logs. It has, however, changed a lot as it now filters spam SMS in addition to facilitating payments in some territories and an offering host of other niche services.
