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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.