As self-service options and digitization advance, spam calls have become one of the most alarmingly growing problems amidst modernization. Unsolicited and unwanted calls that disrupt the daily life of businesses and individuals have become a major reason for the surge in grievances and customer complaints in all forms across different organizations and industries. The growth of spam calls has almost become a menace, and to address this problem, it is important to understand the reasons behind it. As per a survey published in India Today in Feb 2023, 92% of Indians get spam calls every day despite being registered in the DND registry! 66% get three or more calls on average every day. As per Truecaller statistics, 60% of all spam calls are robocalls, which is another growing menace!
Why spam calls?
One of the foremost reasons behind the rise of spam calls is the widespread use of smartphones and the availability of economical calling services. This makes it easy for spammers and scammers around the world to get data of potential customers to make thousands of calls each day, anonymously and without any fear of repercussions. Another prominent reason behind this growth is the lack of regulation and enforcement by local bodies. The DND registry introduced by the government has failed to stop spam callers. Despite numerous complaints and requests from the public and various organizations, governments are yet to take any concrete action to tackle the issue or introduce any deterrents for spam callers. This means that people continue to be harassed by these calls, and it is not clear what steps will be taken to stop them, if any, and by whom.The impact on daily life
Spam calls significantly affect people’s daily lives. They can be distracting and disruptive, especially when one must answer many of them in a single day. They also use up excessive time and resources for people and businesses who deal with them. These calls can come from different numbers and be hard to trace and block. The greatest impact of spam calls is the potential for fraud and financial loss. Scammers use these calls to pick up confidential details. The way to do this is by tricking people into giving such information using social engineering. Callers may pretend to be a representative from a bank or any other financial institution, telling people that their account has been compromised or will be if they did not share certain private details. This kind of scam is becoming increasingly rampant and can sometimes be difficult to detect.How to tackle the issue
A combination of technology and government intervention is needed to tackle this issue. Call-blocking technology is a possible solution that is already available. It can be used to block calls from specific numbers or even unknown numbers. It is important to note that this is insufficient and cannot be a standalone measure. Governments need to introduce tougher regulations and penalties for spam callers. This could include fines or even imprisonment for those found to be involved in such activity. Telecom companies must also identify and block spam calls before reaching customers or the public. People need to be more educated about the problem and take steps to protect themselves. This means being cautious about giving away personal information over phone calls and verifying the source before giving out any information.Conclusion
Spam calls are a problem that needs to be addressed at the earliest, but no concrete solution is in sight yet. A concerted effort is needed from many ends to ensure that the impact is reduced and daily lives of those at the receiving end are not impacted. Stringent controls by the government and increased awareness are vital for people to protect themselves and their information to tackle this burgeoning problem. Till such controls are in place we need to do the basic job of blocking known spam callers, not answering calls from unknown numbers & not sharing any personal information over phone calls. 
