The UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), is investigating a sharp rise in complaints regarding automated calls that are believed to be part of a recruitment scam. The ICO recorded more than 3,600 complaints about these 'robo calls' in September, marking a five-year high and nearly tripling the number from July.
These calls typically feature a recorded voice instructing the recipient to add them on WhatsApp. While they often appear to come from a UK mobile number, these are likely spoofed by criminals. The ICO has expressed deep concern over the increase, suspecting that millions of people are receiving these indiscriminate calls.
Simon Fell of the Communications Crime Strategy Group suggested the scam could involve fake job listings, potentially leading to money muling, or a phishing exercise to identify active numbers for resale. Andy Curry, the ICO's head of criminal investigations, believes the calls originate from abroad and stated the ICO is working to identify those responsible and understand the impact on the public.
Mobile companies are reportedly collaborating with regulators, law enforcement, and Meta (WhatsApp's owner) to address the influx of calls. WhatsApp has features to protect users, including silencing calls from unknown numbers, and bans millions of accounts annually for malicious behaviour.