Spam texts are on the rise, TNS says
Broader implementation of the STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework, coupled with enforcement efforts, have put a dent in robocall volumes compared to last year, according to a new report by TNS.
It’s a small dent, to the tune of an 8% drop in robocall volume in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. Any improvements in unwanted spam and scam calls is a good thing—but the overall volumes are still astronomical. That 8% drop means going from 37.9 billion robocalls to 34.9 billion.
In the first half of this year, the Federal Communications Commission issued its largest-ever fine to an illegal robocalling operation, and also pursued enforcement actions aimed at blocking the infamous (and extremely common) vehicle warranty robocalls. More recently, the agency also initiated a review on how to bring non-IP-based phone networks into the fold to combat spoofed or scam calls that come through those networks, saying that this effort seeks to “fill in the most significant remaining gap” in implementation of the STIR/SHAKEN authentication framework that helps to thwart robocalls.
Even as STIR/SHAKEN is more broadly implemented, however, the robocallers are shifting their operations to stay ahead of technological efforts to block their calls. “Scammers and spammers are continuing to launch robocall campaigns from smaller carrier networks – and adding robotexts to the arsenal – to evade detection,” TNS said.
Efforts made by the top seven telecom carriers in the U.S. (AT&T, Lumen, Charter, Comcast, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon) to meet or exceed the call authentication requirements of the FCC have meant that only 8% of the robocall volume from the first half of the year originated from those carriers’ networks. That’s up from 5% during the first half of 2021, which TNS said may be attributed to “bad actors shifting to low-volume spoofing across large Tier-1 telephone numbering resources, using a variety of scams.”
“As FCC-mandated STIR/SHAKEN implementation continues to expand beyond Tier-1 carriers, we anticipate that consumers will increasingly benefit from broad-based efforts to combat robocalls – and our Report data backs this up,” said Bill Versen, TNS’ President, Communications Market. “But the erosion of trust in voice calling suggests damage has been done, creating a market need to not only protect subscribers from robocalls, but to deliver branded calling solutions so that legitimate organizations can effectively reach consumers.”
TNS also found that the percentage of unwanted robocalls to wireless devices increased slightly from 21% to 23%, while unwanted robocalls to wireline devices plummeted from 48% to 30%.
Robotexts are increasingly a problem as well, with nearly half of robotext scams using “snowshoe spamming”, or spreading messages across multiple telephone numbers. TNS noted that consumer complaints to the FCC about unwanted robotexts have tripled since 2019.
More information from TNS here.
