Brazilians receive 24 spam calls per person per month

Brazil has a major phone spam problem. Brazillians receive an average of 24 spam calls per person each month. That’s considerably more than the other primary countries where Hiya tracks spam data:

Spam calls per person per month

Brazilians receive a high volume of unwanted calls, and the percentage of unknown calls flagged as spam (either nuisance or fraud) is higher than in most countries. In Brazil, 44% of calls from someone not in an individual’s contact list are labeled as spam, double Canada’s rate. Here’s how Brazil’s spam rate compares to other countries:

Country Spam rate

Brazil 44%
US 29%
UK 28%
Germany 26%
Canada 22%

The data above comes from Hiya’s Q4 2023 Global Call Threat Report, which tracks spam and fraud rates in 39 countries worldwide.

Download Hiya’s Q4 2023 Global Call Threat Report

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Brazil combines a high spam rate with a high volume of spam calls per person per month. (Source: Hiya’s Q4 2023 Global Call Threat Report)

Banking scams are common in Brazil

Hiya’s data shows that banking scams were by far the most common type of phone scam in Brazil in Q4 2023. Hiya users in Brazil tell of callers impersonating bank employees who ask the call recipient to confirm personal information and passwords.

A security awareness group warns of the Brazilian Ghost Hand Attack, in which fraudsters convince victims to download a mobile app to protect their bank account, then remotely control the phone—as if a ghost—and remove all the money in the account.

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Loved ones scams are popular around the world, and Brazil gets its share of these, too. A call comes in from a distraught loved one saying, “Mother, I was robbed,” or “Dad, I’m hurt, help me.” The panicked parent or grandparent quickly wires money to the child and later discovers they’ve been scammed.

Learn more about phone scams around the world

Want to learn more about global phone scams? Download Hiya’s Q4 2023 Global Call Threat Report.

The Global Call Threat Report breaks down spam and fraud rates by region, including Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. The report also highlights the most common scam calls in the US, Canada, UK, Spain, France, Germany, and Brazil.

You can download the report by clicking below.