T-Mobile has released its Scam and Robocall Report for 2021, revealing how the carrier kept its customers safe from scams and unsolicited robocalls.
Following a short hiatus in 2020, scammers returned in 2021 in full force and continued to operate aggressively throughout the year.1.1 billion phone calls were identified as likely scams in January 2021, according to the findings, and by November, the volume had increased exponentially, with T-Mobile identifying twice as many fraudulent calls as in January.
As of early December 2021, T-Mobile data indicates attempted scam calls on its network reached an all-time high and jumped over 116% from 2020.
Nevertheless, through its proprietary anti-scam software called Scam Shield, T-Mobile had identified or blocked over 21 billion calls for T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers through early December 2021.
Whenever a scam threat is detected, a "Scam Likely" alert is automatically displayed to a T-Mobile user. Scams related to fake warranties for vehicles were the most common, followed by Social Security, wireless service, car insurance, and package delivery scams.
“With patented tools and safeguards built into the heart of T-Mobile’s network, the Un-carrier is leading the industry in making sure every customer is protected. Scam Shield is identifying or blocking 3.5x more calls than AT&T’s solution and when the Un-carrier labels a call as 'Scam Likely' data shows it has a better than 99% accuracy rate,” explained T-Mobile.
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Among the other highlights of T-Mobile's Scam and Robocall report are how fraudsters target certain areas in the United States more than others. The highest number of scam calls came from Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia.
The T-Mobile network also tracked 85% fewer scam calls over the weekends than from Monday through Friday. For instance, April 4 (Easter and a Sunday), was the least scammed day of the year.
“And while the six weeks leading up to Christmas are historically the busiest time of the year for scam volume, call volume typically drops off sharply starting December 23,” added T-Mobile.
