4.82 Billion Robocalls Mark 1.7% Rise in February, Says YouMail Robocall Index

IRVINE, Calif., March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans received just over 4.8 billion robocalls in February, a 1.7% increase from January. The month of February averaged over 166 million robocalls per day, or 1,925 robocalls per second, up almost 9% from January.

These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app for mobile phones.

"While February's total for robocalls is only slightly above January, it's concerning that the daily rate of robocalls increased so much, despite all the continuing efforts to address the problem," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici.

February Increase Was Primarily Due to Increased Telemarketing

February saw spam calls decrease by 4% (in line with a shorter month) while telemarketing calls (which may be legal or illegal) grew 37%, but from a fairly small base.

Top Illegal Robocalls in February 2020

The top scams were very similar in February to January, in terms of types and volumes, despite the shorter month.

"Winners" in February 2020

The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in February were similar to past months, with each experiencing decreased volumes. 

The states notching the biggest increases in robocalls were Rhode Island and Vermont, both up 8%, and Colorado up 7%, with New Hampshire and South Carolina up 6%.  

These data are provided by YouMail, a free robocall blocking app for mobile phones. YouMail recently won the American Business Awards' Gold Stevie Award for Technical Innovation of the Year, and the YouMail app was named the nation's best robocall-blocking solution in a competition organized by Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post.

YouMail blocks unwanted robocallers by making sure the user's phone doesn't ring, and then plays an out-of-service message that leads them to think they dialed an invalid number. YouMail identifies problematic numbers and robocalls using a combination of its recently patented audio fingerprinting technology, call patterns, and consumer feedback.

YouMail provides the YouMail Robocall Index to estimate robocall volume across the country and for specific area codes every month. This estimate is formed by extrapolating from the behavior of the billions of calls YouMail has handled for its users, and these statistics are regularly cited by the FCC as a definitive source for national data trends.  

For a full ranking of cities, states and area codes, as well as details on the behavior of robocallers in each area code, please see http://robocallindex.com. To listen to actual voice messages left by robocallers, please visit the YouMail Directory. To join the YouMail Robocall Index mailing list, please write to [email protected].

About YouMail, Inc.

YouMail, Inc. provides imaginative, intelligent, cloud-based telecommunication services. These include its free app-based service to block robocalls, and its premium call management services for people who use their mobile phones for business. YouMail's services free users from limitations of their mobile phone or carrier – protecting against unwanted calls, helping them handle high volumes of mobile calls, unifying virtual numbers with their cell number, and providing personalized answering experiences for their callers. YouMail has stopped over a billion robocalls, has given hundreds of millions of callers the experience they deserve, and has delighted millions of users. The YouMail Robocall Index™, since its launch in in September 2015, has emerged as the nation's definitive source on robocalling data for telecom carriers, smartphone and app companies, and public policymakers. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., YouMail, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is privately funded.

Contact:

Rohan Notaney for YouMail
Lumina Communications
[email protected]
650-814-9651

SOURCE YouMail Inc.