We’ve entered the final quarter of 2022 - which means Hiya’s 2023 State of the Call Report is just a few months away. Soon we’ll be kicking off the survey portion of the report, and in January we’ll begin analysis of all phone calls to the Hiya network in 2022.
But before we get started on next year’s annual report, we wanted to know how much has changed since the beginning of the year? It turns out - quite a bit.
Spam and fraud calls continue to grow in 2022
We’ve continued to see spam and fraud calls increase in 2022. In fact, this past April was one of the largest months for spam calls in Hiya history – and we processed and flagged nearly 500 million unwanted calls in just one week. We also perform regular testing to estimate the total amount of spam calls being created by nuisance callers and scammers. Our tests showed a 30% increase in the amount of nuisance or scam calls in the US since the beginning of 2022.
This steady growth in spam and fraud coincides with another alarming data point. In our 2022 State of the Call report we reported that people received an average of 14 spam and fraud calls each month – but looking at the full range shows that the individual experience can vary significantly. This year our data shows that Hiya Protect flags as many as 15 unwanted calls a day for some subscribers.
Scam tactics are evolving
Throughout the year the Hiya Honeypot has caught a variety of evolving scam tactics and we’ve shared details in our Scam of the Month series. In 2022, we caught scams related to social security numbers, healthcare, credit cards, utilities and more.
We’ve noticed a concerning trend as we’ve caught and stopped or flagged these scams – they’re becoming increasingly personal. For example, posing as a local utility company or calling from a local phone number. As these scam tactics become more personal and sophisticated, so should the call protection services meant to stop them.
How have consumers and workers’ perceptions changed?
Some of the most interesting findings in our annual report are the insights from our survey. Each year we conduct a survey of consumers and workers across the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Spain to learn their perceptions and experience with the voice channel. This year, we’re particularly interested to see how this has changed for those using a phone as part of their job, as we’re coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with many businesses and workers returning to the office. Lastly, as spam and fraud rates have continued to climb in 2022, we’re interested in learning how this has affected consumer perceptions around voice security and how they’re responding as individuals to the problem.
The 2023 State of the Call report will be published in early 2023 so stay tuned. Until then, you can review our latest State of the Call report for Sales. We'd love to hear your perspective on voice channel trends to help inform this year's report. If you're interested in sharing your insights and predictions for 2023, let us know!