Spam vs Fraud: 15 Varieties of Unwanted Calls

At Hiya, we define a spam call as a nuisance call. There are two main classifications of unwanted calls: nuisance calls and fraud calls. Nuisance calls are simply annoying or bothersome, such as a call from a telemarketer or a survey taker. Fraud calls have no other purpose than to steal the recipient’s money or personal information, like tax scams or the auto warranty scam.

While some spam-fighting services simply add a spam label to all unwanted calls, Hiya’s technology distinguishes between 15 different categories of spam calls. That empowers users to decide for themselves whether to answer a call. 

Hiya’s ability to label different types of spam calls comes from information received from actual phone users. Through Hiya’s trusted partnership phone carriers and manufacturers, users are able to report spam calls, and when they do they can specify what type of spam call it is. Hiya receives more than 1.6 million of these reports each week.        

Here are the 15 spam categories that Hiya reports: 

How to fight back against spam calls

Carriers can protect their customers from phone spam and fraud by adding Hiya Protect, which blocks or labels unwanted calls with high accuracy, without blocking important calls. It is used by phone carriers, mobile phone manufacturers, and network providers who are looking to create a differentiated voice offering and to increase customer satisfaction.

Enterprises can help their customers feel safe answering the phone by adding Hiya Connect, which enables businesses to display their company name, logo and reason for the call on the recipient’s mobile phone. Branded caller ID identifies who is calling so customers will not be afraid to answer their phones. 

Individuals can check with their phone carrier to see if it offers any spam blocking capabilities. If not, ask your carrier to consider adding Hiya Protect.