In 2024, Yandex’s automatic caller ID recorded approximately 1.5 billion calls from unknown numbers; 800 million of these were unsolicited calls, including scams. This is 16% more than in 2023 and accounts for 56% of the total number of calls. The service has helped users avoid answering more than 55 million unwanted calls. socialbites.ca was informed about this by the company’s press service.
The most significant growth was recorded in the categories of calls from banks and fraudsters pretending to be bank employees (+25%), as well as calls offering insurance services (+21%) and “surveys” (+17.5%).
It turns out that the scenario most used by fraudsters is the excuse of “extending the contract”. In it, fraudsters pretending to be telecom operators inform about the need to renew the contract and ask for a code via SMS. This scheme accounted for 44% of all fake searches recorded by Yandex.
In second place is “two-stage printing” (20%). In this scenario, the first call is a clear fraud attempt and is followed by a second call from a purported bank representative offering to secure the accounts. Third place – promises to increase payments, recalculate pensions or benefits, taking into account the alleged loss of experience (16%). Next – calls with a message about blocking an account in the State Services or a bank due to suspicious activity (11%). In the top 5 are messages (5%) about a registered letter requesting a code for receiving from SMS.
It is also claimed that 5% of the more than 2 million calls marked as spam by users in instant messaging programs came from banks and law enforcement.
The largest increase in the number of calls from unknown numbers in 2024 was observed in the Penza region (+86%), the Primorsky Territory (+22%) and the Rostov region (+20%). The largest decrease was recorded in the Chechen Republic (-80%), North Ossetia (-50%) and the Trans-Baikal Territory (-35%).
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Source: Gazeta
Jackson Ruhl is a tech and sci-fi expert, who writes for “Social Bites”. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of technology and science fiction.