Telecom
Telcos Make 85% Spam Calls in Nigeria, Says Truecaller
Truecaller, a caller identity and spam detection firm, has said that most spam calls and text messages received by subscribers in the first 10 months of the year originated from telecommunications operators in Nigeria.
The firm said that analysis of calls and SMS marked as spam by users indicated that 85 per cent of the calls and messages were from network operators.
It said the investigation done between January and October 30 showed that 12 per cent of the spam calls and messages were scams while three per cent were from telemarketing firms.
“Of the spam calls and SMS received monthly by Truecaller users in Nigeria, 12 per cent were scams. Calls and messages from operators made up 85 per cent and telemarketing accounted for only three per cent of spam calls and SMS,” the Truecaller Insights Report 2019 stated.
The industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), created a Do-Not-Disturb Code (2442) to enable consumers to deactivate the receipt of unsolicited messages in response to consumers’ complaints regarding spam messages.
Insights from the report also indicated that Nigeria was one of the top 20 countries affected by spam calls and SMS globally.
Also Read: NITDA Investigates True caller over Privacy Rights Infractions
According to the study, the average Truecaller user in Nigeria receives 8.4 spam calls per month, which is 20 per cent higher than last year.
This year, it said Brazil topped the list, with the average Truecaller user receiving 45.6 spam calls monthly.
Findings by Truecaller showed that Brazil was followed by Peru and Indonesia at 30.9 and 27.9 spam calls, respectively.
Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt were the other African countries affected by spam calls, with the Egypt having the least record of spam calls in 2019.
For spam SMS, Truecaller said Nigeria ranked seventh among the top 20 countries affected.
“The average Truecaller user in Nigeria received 65 spam SMS per month. However, Ethiopia came tops with the average Truecaller user receiving 119 spam SMS per month, followed by South Africa with 114 and Kenya with 102 spam SMS monthly,” the report stated.
Truecaller said nine countries in Africa and nine countries in Asia dominated the list of recipients of spam SMS with Brazil and Colombia emerging as the only American countries on the list.
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Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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