In India, if you get calls from unknown numbers repeatedly on your phone, then it is no longer a new thing. This has become an everyday problem for many people, where before picking up every call one has to think whether the person in front is really an important person or another spam call. The situation has reached such a stage that people have now started avoiding even picking up unknown numbers. Meanwhile, the new report of Truecaller has made the seriousness of this problem more clear. According to the report, India has become the fifth most affected country in the world facing spam calls. Countries like Indonesia, Chile, Vietnam and Brazil are above India in this list, but the pattern and impact of spam is emerging differently in India.
How big an issue has spam calls become in India now?
Truecaller data According to , billions of spam calls were recorded in India in 2025 alone. Interestingly, the impact of these calls is not just limited to numbers, but is also clearly visible on people’s time and behaviour. Insights related to the report show that millions of hours are spent every day in India just to avoid or handle spam calls.
Furthermore, India’s spam intensity score has been recorded at 66%. That means two out of every three unknown calls are likely to be spam. This figure is enough to explain why people have now started staying away from unknown calls.
Not just telemarketing, now scam calls also dominate
Earlier, spam calls mostly meant telemarketing or promotional calls, but now this pattern is changing rapidly.
- 36% of calls are related to sales and telemarketing
- 18% of calls are related to financial services (loans, credit cards)
- 12% of calls fall directly into scam or fraud category
The report has also revealed that hundreds of crores of fraud calls have been identified in India. This means that now the threat is not just of harassing calls but of direct fraud. Calls coming in the name of OTP, bank details or KYC are part of this new trend.
2-3 spam calls every day, now it has become normal
Other data accompanying the report shows that many users in India receive an average of 2 to 3 spam calls every day. This is the reason why now the ringing of the phone sometimes becomes a sign of trouble for people.
This situation is gradually reaching a point where the basic trust of communication is weakening. That is, unknown calls = spam, this thinking is now becoming common.
How is the situation in other countries of the world?
The trend of spam calls is increasing rapidly even at the global level, but its pattern is different in every country.
- Calls from banks and lenders are more in Indonesia and Mexico
- 38% of calls in Chile are only related to debt collection
- Telecom related spam is seen more in Brazil and Nigeria
The special thing about India is that there is more mix of commercial calls and scam calls, which makes it different.
Not only call, SMS spam is also increasing rapidly
This problem is not limited to calls only. According to the report, thousands of crores of spam SMS have also been recorded in India. This means that users are facing unwanted information and fraud attempts from all sides.
Why is this problem increasing?
There are many reasons behind the increase in spam calls – automated calling systems, data leaks and rapid spread of digital services. Now a large number of calls are being made through machines, due to which more people can be reached in less time.
This increasing trend of spam calls is becoming a big challenge. This problem may become more complex in the future with the increasing use of AI and automation.
