According to telecoms regulator Ofcom, nearly 45 million people in the UK received scam calls or text messages in three months. The impact of the scams on well-being is also huge.
Ofcom conducted a survey among 2,000 adults. The report revealed that about half of the participants got a scam call or text at least once a week. The report also mentioned that text scams are most common among 16 to 34-year-olds people. Elderly people are more often targeted through their landlines. 61% of the elderly person become a victim of a scam phone call.
The survey also found that 79% of mobile phone users don’t know about the service of reporting. Ofcom’s networks and communications group director Lindsey Fussell advised the people not to reply to messages which do not seem quite right.
Lindsey said, “Criminals who defraud people using a phone and text scams can cause huge distress and financial harm to their victims, and their tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated”. She also said, “Stay alert to any unsolicited contact. Put the phone down if you have any suspicion that it is a scam call, and don’t click on any links in text messages you’re unsure about.”