TransUnion Research Shows Seven in 10 Consumers Miss Legitimate Phone Calls Due to Fear of Robocalls, Call Spoofing and Fraud

Branded calling authenticates calls, improves engagement and brand loyalty

TransUnion research featured in a newly released eBook shows the majority of consumers don’t answer the phone because they assume it’s a robocall or scam. The consequence of such actions? Seven in 10 consumers (72%) didn’t answer a call due to safety or fraud concerns, only to later learn they had missed ones they really wanted or needed at least some of the time.

While close to half of consumers don’t pick up because they don’t recognize the caller, the majority said they’d likely answer calls from businesses that display their name and logo on calls. What’s more, most consumers would view those brands more favorably and be more likely to remain a customer of those organizations.

The findings demonstrate that solutions like branded calling and spoofed call protection can benefit enterprises and consumers and help restore trust to the phone channel. The compete findings are available in the eBook, “Reaching Customers by Phone Feel Like a Fairy Tale? Why Consumers Don’t Answer and What You Can Do About It.”

“When customers don’t answer legitimate phone calls, everyone suffers,” said James Garvert, senior vice president of TruContact Communications Solutions at TransUnion. “Enterprises experience poor right-party contact rates, decreased efficiencies and reduced revenues. In addition, the negative impact of call spoofing on brands can be devastating. Consumers suffer because they miss important calls they may really need. The good news is solutions are available to address these issues.”

The research was conducted through a survey of 1,517 U.S. consumers aged 18+ to better understand how they use the phone channel, their behaviors when receiving phone calls and text messages, and the impact spam, call spoofing and fraud have had on that behavior.

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The TransUnion research included insights related to experiences with fraud and preferences for call authentication:

Fraud Findings

• 61% received at least one call in the past three months where the caller seemed to be impersonating someone else (call spoofing) or wasn’t who they claimed to be
• 38% said they’ve been the victim of a scam or fraud on their mobile phone

Call Authentication Findings

• 62% said they’d be very likely to answer a call on their mobile phone when they are certain who’s calling
• 76% said they’d be likely to answer calls from known businesses if they show the company name and logo on calls
• 57% indicated “verification the call hasn’t been spoofed” is a top feature
• 56% would view a brand more favorably if they added their name and logo to the mobile display

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This online survey of 1,517 adults was conducted in June 2023 by TransUnion in partnership with third-party research provider, Toluna. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the U.S. were surveyed using an online research panel method across a combination of desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Survey questions were administered in English. To ensure general population sample representativeness across U.S. resident demographics, the survey included quotas to balance responses to the census statistics on the dimensions of age, gender, household income and region. Generations are defined as follows: Gen Z, born 1997-2004; Millennials, born 1981-1996; Gen X, born 1965-1980; Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964; and Silent Generation, born 1928-1945. These research results are unweighted and statistically significant at a 95% confidence level within ±2.5 percentage points based on calculated error margin. Please note some chart percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding or multiple answers being accepted.

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