Top Scams Of The Countries With The Biggest Mobile Spam Problem

1. United States– Internal Revenue Service (IRS) The caller pretends to be with the IRS and demands money for unpaid taxes or will trick the recipient into sharing private information.

2. Hong Kong– Immigration and Customs Scammers are posing as immigration officers to trick new Hong Kong residents from the mainland. Victims are accused of being involved in the manufacture and sales of fake passports.

3. Brazil – Extortion/Kidnapping These scammers tend to be prison inmates who call random phone numbers and demand payment for the return of a “kidnapped” family member or friend.

4. United Kingdom– Accident Claim Scammers pretend to be from an insurance company, claiming that they received your information from the Motor Insurance database to instruct the victim about their accident claim.

5. Mexico– Extortion/Kidnapping These scammers tend to be prison inmates who call random phone numbers and demand payment for the return of a “kidnapped” family member or friend. Top Scams of the Countries with the Biggest Mobile Spam Problem

6. Spain– Bank Account Callers pretend to be an official representative of the bank and request sensitive information or items which allow them access to the victim’s bank account.

7. Australia – Australian Tax Office (ATO) Similar to the IRS Scam in the U.S., the caller pretends to be with the ATO and demands money for unpaid taxes or will trick the victim into sharing private information.

8. Sweden– False Advertisements Those looking for a place to rent are becoming victims of false advertisements for legitimate apartments. Scammers earn their money by requesting a deposit before the victim can see the non-existent rental.

9. Italy– Solar Energy Fake agents pretend to be from a company representing a utility service and ask for account information to conduct a price comparison. Ultimately, they use that information to sign the victim up for a service they are representing.

10. Hungary– Personal Loan Scammers entice victims with a personal loan that will significantly reduce their debt. They trick consumers into wiring money for the “upfront fees” or providing personal information to begin their new account.

Unwanted Calls (Rates per Country) 

1. United States – 25.08%
2. Hong Kong – 18.87%
3. Brazil – 15.73%
4. United Kingdom – 13.06%
5. Mexico – 11.92%
6. Spain – 11.57%
7. Australia – 8.69%
8. Sweden – 8.64%
9. Italy – 8.26%
10. Hungary – 5.61%

“When you think of the hundreds of millions of robocalls being made per month, you begin to look into the various types of scams out there and it’s eye opening to see how much these scams are costing consumers — both in time and money,” said Alex Algard, CEO of Hiya.