‘Rampant like a pandemic’: why Hongkongers struggle to get peace from junk calls

Hongkonger Chan Shuk-wah feels exhausted by the constant ringing of her phone. On any given weekday, nearly all of the calls lighting up her phone are from unknown numbers — as many as a dozen each day, mostly selling health checks or pushing loan applications. The relentless calls have disrupted her professional life as a logistics company manager and as the only child of two elderly parents, both approaching 80. “These cold calls are just rampant, like a pandemic. I’m exhausted because I don’t...