Three Ireland Blocked 26 Million Scam Calls, 455,000 Fraudulent SMS in 2025

Three Ireland, a prominent mobile operator, reported blocking over 26 million suspected scam calls and intercepting more than 455,000 fraudulent SMS messages throughout 2025. This ongoing effort continued into 2026, with the company's fraud team already blocking over 4 million scam calls and intercepting more than 650,000 fraudulent text messages to date.

The company emphasized that these figures highlight an industry-wide challenge, as fraudsters continually refine their tactics to target customers via both phone calls and text messages. Three Ireland is advising customers to maintain heightened vigilance, particularly as fraud activity typically escalates during the summer months. A notable instance occurred on Friday, May 8, when over 27,000 scam calls were blocked on Three's network alone, and more than 5,000 suspicious calls were flagged to customers with a «possible scam» warning.

There is an observable trend towards more sophisticated call-based and social engineering scams, where perpetrators aim to manipulate customers into divulging sensitive information in real time. Tom Kinsella, Chief Consumer Officer at Three Ireland, underscored the importance of customer vigilance despite the company's extensive interception efforts.

Mr. Kinsella advised, «Customers should always be cautious of unexpected calls or messages and never share personal or account information, including one-time security codes.»