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Car accident claims dominate mobile scam calls in 2016, according to Hiya’s own research
December 2016 by Hiya
Scammers are increasing the number of calls where they
claim ‘our records show you’ve been in a car accident’, according to
call-blocking and caller ID Company, Hiya (www.hiya.com). These types of calls were
the most reported scams of 2016, says Hiya, closely followed by PPI calls, and calls
claiming you’ve won a prize.
The car accident scam peaked in October - the worst month of the year for mobile
phone scams overall – with growth of 84% in the period January to November. PPI
scam claims peaked in November and saw an 81% growth over the year. The UK leads
Europe in that it has the highest percentage of nuisance calls, at a significant 13%
of all calls placed.
“Defrauding people is big business, which is why the number of scam calls
continues to grow and more elaborate schemes appear,” says Alex Algard, CEO of
Hiya. “Scammers are getting more sophisticated. They mask the calls by using
common area codes so people answer them. Our advice is to be careful and trust your
instinct. If an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”
The year in review:
· Newcomer scam of the year: ‘Lucky Winner’
· Worst month for phone scams: October
· Scam that declined over the year: Betting, down 240% from Jan-Nov, peaked
in March
Worst area code offenders:
1. (020) London
2. (0161) Manchester
3. (0141) Glasgow
4. (0113) Leeds
5. (0121) Birmingham
6. (01922) Walsall
7. (01268) Basildon
8. (0151) Liverpool
9. (0115) Nottingham
10. (01792) Swansea
Top Scams in the UK:
1. Car accident claims, 84% growth over the year, peaked in October
2. PPI scam calls, 81% growth over the year, peaked in November
3. Lucky winner, 64% growth over the year, peaked in October
4. Loan scams, 85% growth over the year, peaked in August
_5. All inclusive holiday compensation, 91% growth over the year, peaked in October
