Transaction Network Services (TNS) has published a new white paper providing an in-depth analysis of global scam trends and the increasing use of AI deepfakes by malicious actors to launch deepfake voice cloning robocalls targeting consumers, banks, and electoral voters.

The report, titled 'A Review of International Robocall Scams', scrutinises the over 1.5 billion daily calls across hundreds of carrier networks, detailing international robocall scams and tactics frequently employed by fraudsters, and their impact on consumers and businesses worldwide. Seasonal scams, financial services and retail fraud, and call spoofing are among the tactics discussed in the paper.

In Australia, TNS highlights the increasing prevalence of scams based on the Australian Tax Office, which reportedly sees significant sums of money being lost to malicious actors. Call number spoofing remains a major issue worldwide, with inconsistent laws and regulations on robocalls/robotexts and caller ID spoofing.

"Advancements in AI underscore the ease with which bad actors can now launch sophisticated robocall campaigns targeting any country and population, and effective robocall mitigation requires data-driven analysis and research into how global scams are evolving," said President of TNS Communications Market, Denny Randolph.

The UK is set to impose stricter telecom rules starting January 2025 to curb spoofed calls, following existing US regulations that penalise misleading caller ID information. However, many regulators and policymakers still face challenges in equipping their networks with the robocall mitigation technologies needed to combat malicious actors.

"Our latest white paper highlights these emerging international robocall scams, and shares tools and tactics available to carriers, businesses, consumers and other stakeholders to collectively restore trust in the voice channel," said Randolph.