South Africa’s battle against unsolicited spam and scam calls has intensified, with Truecaller data revealing a sharp 24.3% year on year increase in identified spam calls in January 2026, rising from 2.08 billion in January 2025 to 2.58 billion. The surge highlights a persistent national crisis, even as regulatory enforcement under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) gains momentum.
Truecaller’s insights, drawn from anonymized and aggregated user data extrapolated to national scale using a consistent global methodology, show blocked calls rose 19.5% (from 864 million to 1.03 billion), answered spam calls increased 6.9% (from 208 million to 222 million), and identified spam messages surged 61.3% (from 369 million to 596 million).
“The dramatic rise in spam messages up more than 60% year on year signals that scammers are diversifying their tactics, combining robocalls, impersonation scams, and SMS based fraud attempts,” the release states.
“These numbers show that spam and scam activity is not stabilising it’s accelerating,” said Mmathebe Zvobwo, Director, Market Development, South Africa at Truecaller. “The year on year increase in January alone tells us that scam operations are organised, persistent, and adapting quickly.”
The January figures follow a record 2025, with an estimated 30.3 billion spam calls received nationwide. October 2025 saw the highest monthly volume at 3.1 billion, averaging over 2.52 billion per month, and more than 1 million new spam numbers detected monthly. Truecaller users blocked 11.3 billion calls, or 37.5% of identified spam.
The continued surge has real consequences, exploiting periods like back to school season, festive periods, or Valentine’s Day. “South Africans are tired of guessing,” Zvobwo said. “The fear of answering the wrong call is real. What we’re seeing is not just nuisance spam, it’s behaviour that affects how people live and communicate.”
Truecaller stresses community powered protection: “Every time a user flags a suspicious number, that information helps protect millions of others in real time.” Consumers are urged to be cautious of urgent or manipulative requests, avoid sharing personal or financial information over unknown calls, verify unfamiliar callers, and report suspicious numbers.
On the regulatory side, the Information Regulator has taken decisive action against direct marketing violations under POPIA’s Section 69, which prohibits unsolicited direct marketing via electronic communications including emails, SMS, and calls without prior consent.
In its first enforcement notice on direct marketing, issued 27 February 2024, the Regulator targeted FT Rams Consulting following a complaint of persistent unsolicited emails despite opt out requests. The Regulator found contraventions of Sections 69(1) and (2), noting that the first communication should request consent, using the prescribed Form 4, and that opt out options did not remedy non compliance.
“Our leniency regarding direct marketing through unsolicited electronic communications is going to be a thing of the past because responsible parties ignore the provisions of section 69 of POPIA and infringe on the rights of data subjects,” said Adv Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the Regulator.
The notice ordered FT Rams Consulting to immediately cease unsolicited messages via any electronic means (including telephone, fax, SMS, email, or automated calling machines) to non-consenting individuals, use prescribed consent forms, approach prospects only once for consent, maintain a database of those who withheld consent, and submit compliance proof within 90 days. Non compliance risks fines up to R10 million or up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
This case marked an early enforcement milestone, with the Regulator later issuing a Guidance Note on Direct Marketing (published December 2024) to clarify compliance, including treating telephone calls as electronic communications requiring opt in consent for non customers.
Enforcement has continued, with dozens of complaints addressed and penalties imposed, including a R100,000 fine on FT Rams Consulting for non compliance with the initial notice.
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) advances a national opt out registry under amended Consumer Protection Act regulations, with draft rules published in October 2024 for public comment (closing January 2025) and rollout targeted for the 2025/26 financial year. Consumers could register to block unsolicited marketing, requiring marketers to cleanse databases and register.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) addresses telecom abuses, such as illegal use of mobile numbers from fixed call centers.
Truecaller, serving over 450 million active users worldwide with more than one billion downloads and 68 billion spam/fraud calls identified in 2025, remains a key community tool. Headquartered in Stockholm and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since October 2021, it urges vigilance amid evolving threats.