Telecom operator MTS impeded approximately 9 million spam calls within the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Staying Ahead of the Spam CallersMay 7, 2025, 10:41 AM
Tech Talk
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MTS's digital landscape and "Guardian" service recently battled fraudulent activity in Q1 2025, as revealed in a mobile operator's press release.
Over a span of three months in the Nizhny Novgorod region, around 9 million spam calls were thwarted, marking a 10% rise compared to the same period last year. The busiest month for spammers was March, with approximately 3.3 million calls blocked, while only 2.7 million calls were intercepted in February, suggesting reduced activity during that period. A local resident even received an alarming 9,000 suspicious calls, but thanks to the system, these attempts were successfully thwarted.
Residents were often troubled by calls from financial institutions and banks. Advertising offers, surveys, and contacts from collectors and assorted companies peddling goods and services followed closely behind.
The accumulated duration of these blocked calls surpassed 2 million minutes, equivalent to 226 weeks of endless chats. The average duration of one blocked call in the Nizhny Novgorod region clocked in at 15 seconds.
In light of these figures, Andrei Belov, MTS Director in the Nizhny Novgorod region, warned, "Anti-spam systems rooted in Big Data effectively combat fraudulent and advertising calls. Last year, MTS shielded over 17.5 million minutes of unwanted calls, roughly equivalent to 33 years of continual chats. Thus, it's crucial to remain cautious and adhere to this essential wisdom: any stranger dialing from an unrecognized number could pose a potential threat. Don't blindly trust strangers posing as bank employees, government officials, or other organizations. Always examine information through official channels and bear in mind that legitimate entities will never demand confidential details over the phone."
Rising Tide of Spam
While I couldn't find specific data on increased spam calls in the Nizhny Novgorod region during Q1 2025, there are some factors that might contribute to this trend:
- Technological Advancements: Spammers leverage technologies like voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and automated systems to reach more people.
- Economic Instability: Economic fluctuations can drive an increase in spam as individuals resort to scams to make ends meet.
- Data Breaches: If there have been significant data breaches in Russia, particularly in the Nizhny Novgorod region, this could lead to an increase in targeted spam calls.
- Telecom Infrastructure Changes: Changes such as those related to Google's disconnection from Russian exchange points may impact how spam calls are routed and detected.
- Lax Regulation or Enforcement: Weak anti-spam regulations or inadequate enforcement can lead to a rise in spam calls.
Although no direct connection between the Nizhny Novgorod region's data center market and spam calls was found, the area's economy and political climate might indirectly influence telecommunications practices, including spam prevention and enforcement.
- Despite MTS's success in blocking spam calls in Novgorod, the number of such calls still rose by 10% in Q1 2025 compared to the same period last year.
- In the year 2025, MTS Barker's digital landscape, operating in Novgorod, thwarted over 9 million spam calls, with the busiest month being March.
- On average, the duration of one blocked call in the Novgorod region was 15 seconds, resulting in a cumulative total of 2 million minutes of blocked calls.
- The rise in spam calls in the Novgorod region could be attributed to various factors, including technological advancements, economic instability, data breaches, and lax regulation or enforcement of anti-spam measures.
