Real estate, financial services top pesky callers list: LocalCircles survey

• 88% people said in a survey that most unwanted calls come from financial services and those trying to sell a property.
• The DND registry has been ineffective in addressing the problem of spam calls.
• One in two mobile subscribers get the majority of unwanted and pesky phone calls from personal mobile numbers.

Have you ever been disturbed by someone asking you to apply for a credit card or buy a four-bedroom apartment, just when you were trying to focus on work? You are not alone.

A survey by LocalCirlces, a community social media platform, said that two out of three Indians surveyed get more than three pesky calls a day. As many as 16% of them said that they get more 6-10 pesky calls per day, while 5% say that they get 10 such calls or more!

The survey received 56,000 responses from citizens across 342 districts of India.

In 2022, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on mandatory implementation of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) in Telecommunication Networks which is designed to display the name of the caller (even if the receiver has not saved the same on their device/SIM) on the receiver’s screen, when the call connects.

However, complaints from consumers have continued to rise and unsolicited communications is something people have been regularly discussing on LocalCircles.

Pesky calls continue

The survey finds that the menace of pesky calls has continued to increase with efforts of TRAI and operators showing no results so far. If one is fed up of receiving such pesky calls, they can register their number to a Do Not Disturb (DND) registry.

The survey also points out that the DND registry has been completely ineffective, with 92% of those who have registered for DND confirming that they still get these pesky calls. Interestingly, TRAI said in a 2018 notification that they will penalize pesky callers between ₹1,000 to ₹50 lakh per violation based on the type of offense, but it doesn’t seem to have the intended effect.

Sectors with the peskiest calls

The survey attempted to understand what are the sectors that send most unsolicited commercial communication in the form of pesky calls to people. 88% mobile subscribers in the survey said that the maximum unwanted calls they get are from financial services, real estate, and those offering jobs and earning opportunities.

The survey also found that one in two mobile subscribers get the majority of unwanted and pesky phone calls from personal mobile numbers of different individuals.

The survey also reveals that people employed in the financial services, real estate and other service industries shared insights about those in sales and marketing in their organizations hiring third party agencies for lead generation.

As per the information shared, these contracted agencies have staff who use their personal mobile numbers from their offices or home to make such calls. In most cases, the list is furnished by the customer or the contracted agency.