February 7th, 2019 - Telecom, Identity and Protection
TNS analyzed robocall data from more than 1 billion daily call events across hundreds of carriers to identify robocall tactics and trends from 2018
Tax Day (April 17, 2018) saw more negative robocalls than any other day of the year, and April was the highest volume month of 2018 — according to comprehensive data analysis released by Transaction Network Services, Inc. (TNS).
Call spoofing also remains a preferred tactic for bad actors, as 1 in every 4,000 mobile device numbers was hijacked by a spoofer and 1 in 5 people disconnected their phone after their number was hijacked.
Nearly 143 million nuisance and high-risk calls were placed on Tax Day 2018, as scammers often pose as the IRS in an attempt to trick taxpayers into providing money or personal information. TNS drew from over 1 billion daily call events across hundreds of carriers and integrated a vast amount of evidence from TNS’ network traffic to deliver an objective, first-hand view of robocalling, spamming and spoofing. Additional TNS 2018 robocall ‘highs and lows’ data findings include:
“Consumers should be especially vigilant as we approach tax season, but given the fact that nuisance robocall volume increased 13% in 2018 it is important to never let your guard down when callers are asking for personal information,” said Bill Versen, Chief Product Officer at Transaction Network Services. “There is good news on the horizon in 2019 however, as government, carrier and industry efforts – such as STIR/SHAKEN and analytics solutions – will offer better protection for consumers and businesses negatively impacted by robocalls.”