Despite TRAI's directive to telcos, subscribers spammed with promotional calls

Surged pesky calls: 90 per cent respondents of a survey, all of them mobile phone subscribers, continue receiving unwanted calls from individuals selling financial services, real estate projects, and other products, despite being registered on the Do Not Disturb (DND) list, as revealed by recent survey conducted by LocalCircles.  The pesky calls continue unabated, despite efforts by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to curb spam calls, the situation has not improved for consumers.

The survey, which received approximately 60,000 responses from 378 districts, highlighted the persistent issue of spam calls. According to the survey, the majority of respondents reported receiving spam calls every day, with most calls being related to financial services and real estate.

Increase in spam calls

Despite TRAI efforts to curb spam calls, the situation has not improved for consumers, according to Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles. The survey found that the majority of respondents receive at least 1-2 pesky calls daily, while 3 per cent receive over 10 such calls daily.

The survey also noted an increase in spam calls from different mobile numbers that appear to belong to companies or brands, rising from 29 per cent in February 2023 to 36 per cent in February 2024. Additionally, 40 per cent of respondents identified most of the pesky calls as coming from a leading listed non-banking financial services firm, followed by calls from a leading listed private sector bank.

Overall, 48 per cent of mobile subscribers surveyed indicated that they receive the majority of pesky phone calls from different mobile numbers that seem to belong to individuals.

(with PTI inputs)