Americans Infuriated by 14 Billion-Plus Total Robocalls at Mid-Point of 2016

IRVINE, Calif., July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. phones were hit by an estimated 2.37 billion robocalls in the month of June, a 4.7% decrease over the total for May and just the second time that the YouMail National Robocall Index has posted a monthly decline since it was launched in September 2015.

The results for June brought the overall national total to 14.3 billion robocalls through the first six months of 2016, according to YouMail's free monthly report that tracks robocall volumes across the country. The national total of 2.37 billion robocalls in June equals a stunning 79 million robocalls made each day somewhere the country, or roughly 916 robocalls every second of the month.

These results come from the latest National Robocall Index™ report released today by YouMail, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent telecom services for consumers and small businesses. The Robocall Index is a free monthly report that tracks robocall volumes across the country.

The data is based on calls blocked and/or reported as spam by millions of YouMail subscribers nationwide. Having answered billions of calls for its users, YouMail uses algorithms to detect any automatically dialed calls and then aggregates that call data into the Robocall Index. YouMail's free Smart Blocking feature protects subscribers by making spammers and other unwanted callers think their number is no longer in service.

The National Do Not Call Registry has been largely ineffective because it was created for live telemarketers, not automated robodialers, according to YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. YouMail is inviting Americans to join a national campaign to share the numbers of unwanted robocallers so that telco carriers can deploy free software blocking solutions to guard against those numbers.

"Robocallers are an unmitigated source of irritation for everyday consumers and small business owners across the country," said Quilici.  "As robocalls continue to skyrocket, we are building a coalition of fed-up Americans who want to take action to stop this national insanity."

Inbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from June

Atlanta led the YouMail 50 Most Robocalled Cities in America^TM list for the seventh month in a row, receiving an estimated 99.1 million robocalls in June, a 6% decline from the previous month. Atlanta is on track to receive over 1 billion robocalls this year alone.

Southern states were home to 15 of the top 20 most robocalled area codes in June, and 22 Southern cities made the list of the 50 Most Robocalled Cities in America.

Atlanta's 404 area code topped the 40 Most Robocalled Area Codes Per Capita list, with an average of 36.0 robocalls received per person/month on average. The other Most Robocalled Area Codes Per Capita included Baton Rouge 225 (32.6 calls/month); Washington, DC 202 (27.6); Macon, GA 478 (19.3); Memphis, TN (18.4); New York, NY 347 (18.3); New Orleans, LA (18.0); Little Rock, AR 501 (17.9); Birmingham, AL 205 (17.1); and Lafayette, LA (15.5).

Indianapolis notched a 5% increase to 18.5 million robocalls for June, the largest month-on-month increase by any city, pushing Indy to #29 on the national list, up from #39 in May.

Outbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from June

Debt collections continue to be the leading cause of U.S. robocalls by far, making up 17 of the top 20 types of callers tracked. Bank debt collectors topped the list, followed by retailers and student loan providers. YouMail suggests that the Robocall Index may serve as a potential economic indicator for area codes due to its high correlation with payment reminders and debt collections.

One national credit card company continues to hold the most active robocalling number for the 10^th straight month, with an estimated 29.2 calls made in June alone. This single phone number has placed more than 320 million robocalls to Americans over the past 10 months.

Columbus, OH, remained the most-prolific robocalling city with 76.5 million calls placed in June. Other cities making the Top 5 most-prolific robocalling list for June included Los Angeles (62.7M), Dallas (56.3M), Houston (48.8M) and Atlanta (46.9M).

How People Can Take Community Action

You can help stop robocallers by becoming involved, and you can take action to reduce the number of robocallers who call you. First, when you get a call from a strange number, don't answer it.  And if they leave a message, don't call them back right away.

Then, go to the YouMail Community Directory to look up that number and find out what others are saying about it. You can leave comments in the Directory and report on any numbers that have bothered you.  This process takes only a few seconds to help solve the problem by warning others about your problematic callers. Then, YouMail's smart blocking algorithms will combine these consumer spam reports with calling patterns to play "Out of Service" greetings to YouMail users, getting more and more phone numbers taken off robocaller lists.

For more information about the YouMail Robocall Index or to view the latest report, please visit: http://www.youmail.com/phone-lookup/robocall-index. To join the YouMail Robocall Index mailing list, please write to: [email protected].

About YouMail, Inc.

YouMail, Inc. is the leading provider of intelligent, cloud-based telecommunication services. The company's flagship service provides an intelligent call manager that replaces the subscriber's voicemail on iPhone, Android, and Windows phones.   This service stops robocalls and includes an automated virtual assistant for handling other calls.   Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., YouMail, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is privately funded.

Contacts:
Liana Hawes for YouMail
Gutenberg Communications
[email protected]
212-239-8477

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.

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