Last Year's Q4 Spam Reports Total 7.47 Million... 'Stock & Investment' Most Frequent

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The most reported spam type from October to December last year (Q4) was related to 'stocks and investments.'

VP, the provider of the spam blocking application Whoscall, announced the spam statistics reported by Whoscall users in Q4 on the 30th. VP stated that the total number of spam reports in Q4 was approximately 7.47 million, similar to the previous quarter.

The most reported spam type remained 'stock investment,' the same as the previous quarter. The number of reports reached 3.31 million, a 28% increase compared to the same period last year. This accounts for about 44% of all spam reports in Q4. VP analyzed that amid the unstable economic situation with continued base rate hikes and rising prices, 'stock investment' spam was rampant.

Following the previous quarter, spam related to entertainment such as 'illegal games, gambling' and 'nightlife establishments' also showed an increasing trend. The cumulative number of reports in Q4 was 1.25 million, accounting for 17% of the total. With 940,000 reports in Q2 and 1.08 million in Q3, it has shown about a 15% increase each quarter. This is interpreted as an increase in promotional spam related to entertainment, taking advantage of the growing trend of outdoor activities.

On the other hand, 'loan solicitation' spam recorded 1.25 million reports in Q4, showing a decrease of about 60,000 from the previous quarter, which was the lowest ever. The contraction in household loan demand due to continued base rate hikes appears to be reflected in the number of spam calls. This represents a 42% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Spam reports related to 'mobile phone sales' recorded 75,000 cases in Q4, a 45% decline compared to the same period last year. Considering the prolonged economic downturn and weakened consumer sentiment, spam types such as mobile phone sales are expected to decrease further for some time.