Spam robo calls from sources pretending to be government agencies are up in B.C.: new survey
They’ve been calling you for years, claiming you’re in legal trouble with the border services agency or the CRA. Sometimes the threats are jarring, sometimes they’re laughable. Usually you hang up right away, but occasionally it’s funny to listen to the entire recording.
Sometimes the recording is in English, other times it’s in a language you might not understand.
Spam robo calls are an ongoing issue for mobile phone users in B.C. and have increased in frequency over the past two years, according to a survey from Research Co. polling company.
A survey of B.C. residents shows that over the past two months 50 per cent of those with mobile phones have been targeted with calls from people pretending to represent a government agency. That’s an increase of 15 percentage points from when the polling company asked the same question about two years ago, in Sept. 2019.
Men reported receiving the phone calls more (52 per cent) than women, and those in the age range of 35 to 54 were most likely to be targeted (58 per cent.)
And the incidence of receiving a robo call in Cantonese or Mandarin has increased by 20 percentage points since 2019.
”Just over half of mobile phone users in British Columbia say they have received phone calls and/or phone messages where an individual speaks Cantonese or Mandarin in the past two months,” reads a statement from the polling company.
And, those living in Metro Vancouver were also more likely to report receiving a call in Cantonese or Mandarin, with 61 per cent reporting such calls.
The rise in robo calls stands in stark contrast to text messages asking about which political parties a person supports, which decreased by half since 2019.
“Only 18 per cent of mobile phone users in British Columbia received a text message asking if they support a specific party or policy from an individual they do not know in the past two months,” reads the Research Co. statement.
And, across the province, only 28 per cent of mobile phone users say they didn’t receive any of these types of messages in the past two months.
The survey results are based on an online study conducted from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23, 2021, among 800 adults in B.C. The data was statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.