- A 70% decrease in incoming international calls has resulted from Taiwan’s campaign against phone scams.
- The total number of inbound international calls decreased to 15 million in October.
- Before taking any international calls, recipients are required to listen to a scam alert as part of the campaign.
A 70% decrease in incoming international calls has resulted from Taiwan’s campaign against phone scams, underscoring the severity of the issue on the island and marking a rare win over unsolicited callers.
The National Communications Commission released data on Thursday showing that the total number of inbound international calls decreased to 15 million in October from 50.8 million in May.
Foreign scammers
Taiwan won because the government told phone companies to stop blocking international calls that looked like local numbers. Before taking any international calls, recipients are required to listen to a scam alert as part of the campaign.
A dedicated “111” number will be established from which the government will attempt to text citizens with all official communications as part of Taiwan’s campaign against nuisance calls. Online retailers will also be required to use codes when referring to people’s phone numbers.
