Canadians report a rise in spam calls and text: new study

A new report shows spam calls and texts are on the rise across the country - and most people are tired of it

A new study conducted by Narrative Research found about four in 10 people report seeing an increasing number of spam calls and texts.

“It doesn’t shock me at all, to be honest. There’s a ton of emails or calls coming out. I get them all the time,” says Maritimer George Khalil.

“I’ve gotten emails (that said) ‘Your Amazon packages has come’... I don’t even have the Amazon account, my girlfriend does. So, there’s a high increase from what it used to be.”

Some users may notice local telecom providers have rolled out a new feature labelling suspected spam calls.

“When we asked people who should be responsible for taking care of this issue… two thirds of people said it should be the telecom providers who are dealing with this problem. But four in 10 also said it’s the federal government like the CRTC or regulator’s responsibility. And then a third of people recognize that it’s an individual responsibility to tackle,” says Margaret Chapman, the COO for Narrative Research.

The study also found one third of people choose not to answer unknown numbers.

On the flip side, 66 per cent say they still choose to do so, if the call is from a recognizable area code, or if they’re expecting a call from someone with an unknown number like their doctor.

“We also heard that people will answer the phone just because they don’t get very many calls, and they’re curious to find out who’s on the other end,” says Chapmam.

But Barry Choi, a consumer advocate based in Toronto, says its important for people to take steps to protect themselves.

“While it’s fun to play along, I think it’s more important to take the time to find out what scams are going on so you can be prepared for them,” says Choi.

“Thieves, cons, they’re getting smarter. There’s more technology available to them, and it does feel like they’re always one step ahead of everyone else.”