20th October 2021
Ofcom news release - 45 million people targeted by scam calls and texts this summer
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45 million people targeted by scam calls and texts this summer · Text scams most common, with three quarters of 16-34 year-olds targeted · Six in ten over-75s received a suspicious call to their landline · Ofcom is encouraging people to flag suspicious text messages to the 7726 service and report calls to Action Fraud |
Almost 45 million people have been on the receiving end of potential scam texts or calls in the last three months, new Ofcom research reveals. |
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More than eight in 10 (82%) said they had received a suspicious message, in the form of either a text, recorded message or live phone call to a landline or mobile. This represents an estimated 44.6 million adults in the UK. Scams are more commonly attempted via text messages with seven in 10 people (71%) saying they have received a suspicious text, and three quarters (75%) of those aged 16-34 were targeted. More than four in 10 (44%) who had received a suspicious text message reported receiving such a message at least once a week. Our research also shows that suspicious calls continue to be a threat for landline users, with older people particularly susceptible. Three in five (61%) people aged 75 and over reported receiving a potential scam call to their landline. More than half (53%) of respondents who received a suspicious live phone call on a landline over the last three months said that they got a call at least once a week. Four in 10 (43%) reported getting a suspect call to their mobile phone. More than half of people who received a suspicious text either deleted the message (53%) or blocked the number (52%). Almost half (49%) of those who received a suspicious live voice call, and more than four in ten (44%) who received a suspicious recorded message, blocked the number. But, in the last three months alone, 2% reported following the scammers’ instructions in a message or call. This equates to almost a million people, who risk financial loss and emotional distress if a scam attempt is successful. The research also revealed that almost eight in 10 (79%) mobile phone users are not aware of the 7726 number used to report a suspected text or call – although a similar figure (81%) agreed that reporting messages is helpful in preventing people being scammed in the future. |