According to data from the platform Truecaller, users' phones in South Africa were exposed to 17.47 billion spam calls between January and June 2026. This figure represents a 25.2% increase compared to the 13.96 billion spam calls registered during the same period in 2025.
Truecaller notes that this increase reflects both the growing volume and the diversity of attempts directed against South African consumers, as criminals increasingly employ sophisticated methods to deceive victims.
These sophisticated tactics include calls imitating bank fraud departments, caller ID spoofing, and the use of generative artificial intelligence to make fraudulent conversations more convincing.
Out of the total of 17.47 billion identified spam calls in the first half of the year, Truecaller users blocked 7.18 billion, which is an increase of 58.6% compared to the previous year for the same period. Spam activity has also spread to text messages: 3.71 billion spam messages were detected in the first six months of 2026, which is 58.9% more than last year.
Furthermore, thanks to the community-based reporting network, the company discovered 559 million new spam numbers between March and June 2026.
Despite the rise in spam attempts, the proportion of South Africans who answered identified spam calls has decreased. The percentage of answered spam calls dropped from 10.2% in the first half of 2025 to 7.8% in the first half of 2026.
Mmathebe Zwobvo, Truecaller's Market Development Director in South Africa, stated that criminal networks are becoming increasingly complex due to the use of spoofing and AI technologies. She emphasized: 'Criminal networks are not slowing down. On the contrary, they are becoming more sophisticated, using spoofing and AI-based tactics to appear legitimate.'
According to her, the data indicates that South Africans are increasingly using information and technology to avoid communicating with suspicious callers.
Truecaller explains that the community reporting model allows users to flag suspicious numbers, and these reports help the company identify and filter new spam numbers. The company's machine learning models can use this information to tag and filter new spam numbers within hours of their appearance.
Consumers are advised not to engage with unknown or unfamiliar international numbers, and to avoid sharing one-time passwords (OTPs), PINs, passwords, or banking details over the phone. If you receive a suspicious call, you should end the conversation and contact the organization directly using the official number listed on its website or on the back of your bank card. It is also strongly advised to be cautious about links or applications sent via SMS or WhatsApp after an unexpected call, and never install software at the request of an unknown caller. Suspicious numbers can also be reported to strengthen spam protection for other users.
