T-Mobile Report

Customers Protected from More Than 40 Billion Scam Calls in 2022 - Seite 2

Scam Shield is leading the way in keeping wireless customers safe from scams. In June, Verizon said they blocked 5B robocalls in the first half of the year. In that same period, T-Mobile’s Scam Shield blocked an impressive 25B.

Common Scam Tactics

Scammers followed similar patterns from years past, targeting consumers more heavily on weekdays vs. weekends and heavily ramping up activity during the two weeks before Christmas (hello package delivery scams!). But even scammers need a break, accounting for why major holidays like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter, and 4^th of July saw the lowest scam traffic dropping anywhere from 80-90%.

Vehicle warranty scams dominated the first half of the year, with T-Mobile’s Scam Shield blocking nearly double the amount of scam and robocalls in the front half of the year – averaging 4.2B blocked calls/month – compared to the back half – which averaged 2.7B blocked calls/month. In July, an unprecedented FCC cease and desist identified eight wireless providers – not T-Mobile – in violation of carrying these calls, which effectively brought vehicle warranty scams to a halt.

Scammers never stay away for long, so as vehicle warranty scams went into hibernation, health and insurance-related scams quickly rose up to take their place. To maximize their profits, these bad actors adapted their tactics to target key moments throughout the year. Back to school? That’s prime time for student loan fraudsters and Amazon scams. Tax season? IRS-related scams reigned supreme.

Target Regions/Demographics

Scammers hit some states harder than others, with Texas, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, and Oklahoma seeing the brunt of it, with victims often targeted by demographic and region. Texas received the highest volume of scam calls with insurance-related tactics targeting the uninsured and other unsuspecting victims. States with high senior populations like South Carolina are also key targets – imposters often mask as seniors’ aid staffers going after Medicare and other health-related scams.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

Built into the core of the network and free for all customers, T-Mobile’s leading patented Scam Shield technology provides the most powerful defense against scams. It updates protections every six minutes and identifies scam calls before they even reach a customer’s phone. When a threat is detected, customers either receive a “Scam Likely” warning or no disturbance at all by turning on Scam Block in the Scam Shield app or by dialing #662#.