ComReg research shows there were 365,000 scam texts and calls last year

ComReg said the “quantifiable harm” to Irish society due to these scams is “conservatively" estimated to be in the region of €300m a year. 

There were approximately 365,000 cases of fraudulent scams communicated through text or phone calls in 2022 leading to 89 million instances of annoying or irritating communications, new research from the Commission for Communications Regulations (ComReg) shows.

It comes as ComReg publishes a consultation on network-based interventions to reduce the harm from scam calls and texts. The research indicates that during 2022, there were up to 89 million annoying or irritating communications and 31 million distressing communications. 

Over 5,000 businesses were found to be victims of fraud after receiving scam calls and texts. ComReg said the “quantifiable harm” to Irish society is “conservatively" estimated to be in the region of €300m a year—38% of which is due to scam text messages and 62% due to scam phone calls.

ComReg said these scams are a “blight on society and cause significant financial and economic damage to all sectors of society including consumers, business, and public bodies”.

“The prevalence of scam calls and SMS has increased in recent years, with the vast majority of mobile users reporting to have received scam calls or SMS.” 

In order to address the instances of these scams, ComReg is proposing that operators be required to implement a number of technical interventions.

These include: 

• fixed and mobile calling line identification and blocking to stop fraudsters abroad spoofing Irish numbers; 
• a protected number list to stop scammers from using numbers not in service yet; 
• a voice-firewall to block spam calls; 
• a text message sender ID protection registry which would allow businesses and organisations access to a specific ID and block those who are not on the register.

ComReg also assessed a text message scam filter to block scam texts and protect against future more sophisticated scams.

However, this intervention requires legislative change and ComReg is engaging with its parent department, the Department of Communications in taking this forward.

“The overall benefit of the package of interventions, if implemented, would be in the order of €1.5 billion over the coming seven years while the benefits to society for each euro spent on the interventions is substantial and should bring €50 in economic and social benefit for every €1 spent,” ComReg said.