Getting fewer spam calls these days? It's likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic

MONTREAL -- If you are receiving fewer spam phone calls these days, it's likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The California firm YouMail explained to the Los Angeles Times that the spread of the novel coronavirus has led to the closing of call centres in India, the Philippines and elsewhere.

YouMail boss Alex Quilici said U.S homes received some 4.1 billion spam calls in March, about 700 million less than the 4.8 billion calls received in February.

Some 5.7 billion unwanted calls were received in October 2019, according to the Times.

Quilici believes the call centres simply don't have the infrastructure to allow their employees to work from home.

He warns, however, that the respite may be short-lived and expects to see the number of calls increase in the coming weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2020.