FILE PHOTO.
Image Credit: pexels.com
January 03, 2024 - 11:59 AM
While a new survey has found scam calls to mobile phones are trending down, three-in-five British Columbians say they've been targeted by callers speaking languages other than English.
A recent survey shows that nearly 60% of British Columbians have received some type of unsolicited call in the past two months.
Close to three in five (59%) phone users in the province were on the receiving end of calls and phone messages where the individual calling is speaking Cantonese or Mandarin, according to a media release from the polling firm Research Co. In 2021, 51% of cell phone users in BC were targeted.
These calls are more common for phone users based in Metro Vancouver where 69% of users have received these foreign language calls in the past two months. In the Fraser Valley, it’s 55% of users, whereas it’s 45% in Vancouver Island, 42% in Southern BC and 27% in Northern BC.
“Mobile phone users in British Columbia aged 55 and over are more likely to receive calls or messages in a foreign language (63%) than their counterparts aged 18-to-34 (53%),” Mario Canseco, President of Research Co, said in the release. “Conversely, about one in four mobile phone users in British Columbia aged 18-to-34 (24%) have dealt with messages of a political nature over the past two months.”
The incidence of these scam phone calls has fallen since 2021. Across the province, 42% of phone users say they've received phone calls or messages from individuals posing as government agency representatives, such as the Canadian Revenue Agency, in the past two months. This rate is down eight points since 2021 when 50% of users had received this type of call.
These calls are more common in the Fraser Valley where 50% of residents have received then. The rate stands at 44% in Vancouver Island, 42% in Northern BC, 41% in Metro Vancouver and 34% in Southern BC.
When it comes to text messages, just under one in five users (18%) have received messages from unknown individuals asking them if they support a specific party or policy in the past two months.
This data was obtained by a Research Co. online study that took place online from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10 among 800 British Columbian adults. To obtain age and regional data, the results were weighed according to the Canadian census data.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Gabrielle Adams or call (438) 830-1211 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2024