Spam calls are getting smarter in Canada and here’s how Bell is tackling the problem

Spam calls remain a persistent frustration for Canadians, but increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics are making them harder to identify.

One of the fastest-growing challenges is caller ID spoofing — a tactic that manipulates caller ID information to impersonate trusted organizations, local businesses, or personal contacts.

According to the CRTC, roughly 40 per cent of complaints about unwanted calls involve caller ID spoofing and impersonation scams.

As fraud tactics continue to grow more sophisticated, Bell is enhancing its suspicious call detection feature with new capabilities designed to identify, block, and label spoofed calls in real-time — a first for Canadian carriers.

Over 500 million suspicious calls intercepted

Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

So, how does it work? The AI-powered feature analyzes incoming calls in real-time to block or label suspicious calls and help customers make more informed decisions about whether to answer.

Since launching suspicious call detection in May 2025, Bell has blocked or labelled more than 500 million suspicious calls. Approximately 113 million calls have been automatically blocked, while a further 426 million calls have been labelled as “Likely Fraud” or “Possible Spam.”

This has helped identify suspicious activity associated with unknown numbers, but now fraudsters have shifted toward spoofing legitimate phone numbers to appear more credible.

Expanding protection against caller ID spoofing

Beginning in July 2026, suspicious call detection will be enhanced to identify spoofed calls.

Bell is the first carrier in Canada to label and block spoofed calls, allowing these calls to be blocked or labelled using the existing spam and fraud warnings customers already see on their devices.

The company estimates the upgrade will enable suspicious call detection to intercept 60 to 70 per cent more suspicious calls than it currently does.

Even better, no action is required to access the new protection. The enhancement will roll out automatically to all Bell wireless customers on both iOS and Android devices at no additional cost. Bell customers can explore eligible wireless plans and features, including suspicious call detection, on Bell’s rate plans page.

Helping Canada answer with confidence

Vitaly Gariev/Pexels

As phone scams continue to evolve, so must the technologies to stop them.

The latest enhancement reinforces Bell’s continued investment in network security, innovation, and protecting Canadian consumers.

For customers, the benefit is straightforward: additional protection against increasingly sophisticated scam attempts and more information about incoming calls before deciding whether to answer.

More information about Bell’s suspicious call detection feature is available on the Bell website.