The New Normal: Nearly 5.1 Billion Robocalls Made in November
YouMail Robocall Index Numbers Roughly Flat with October, Despite Shorter Month and Holidays
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's robocalling epidemic continues apace, with 5.1 billion robocalls nationwide received in November, just slightly below the all-time record set in October. This volume equaled 169.6 million calls placed every day during November, and an all-time record of 1,963 robocalls for every second of the month.
"Finally, we're seeing a month where we didn't get more robocalls than the previous month," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "Unfortunately, this month was a day shorter than last month, which means robocalls were still running at a higher per-day pace. In addition, the large volume of calls came despite holidays that reduced robocall traffic, with Thanksgiving in the U.S. and Diwali in India, where many of these types of calls originate."
Robocalls Continue to Be Driven by Scams
Combined scam and telemarketing calls continue to account for roughly 60% of all robocalls, with over 2 billion scam calls and nearly 1 billion telemarketing calls made in November, very similar to September and October's numbers. The 3 billion scam and telemarketing robocalls made in November amount to an enormous number of calls that the majority of consumers just do not want to receive.
Type of Robocall |
Estimated Nov. Robocalls |
Percentage of Nov. Robocalls |
Alerts and Reminders |
997 million (+112 million) |
19% (+2%) |
Payment Reminders |
1.1 billion (-108 million) |
21% (-2%) |
Telemarketing |
997 million (+85 million) |
20% (+2%) |
Scams |
2.026 billion (-113 million) |
40% (-2%) |
The top five scam types remained identical between September, October and November, with Health Insurance Scams, Easy Money Scams, and Search Listings Scams making the list, despite decreasing notably in volume. However, Interest Rate Scams jumped in volume significantly, back to levels seen in previous months.
Rank |
Type of Scam |
Estimated Nov. Robocalls |
Summary of Scam |
1 |
Health/Health Insurance Scams |
448.6m (-51 million) |
Identify theft/scam payments |
2 |
Interest Rate Scams |
176.6m (+44.3 million) |
Identify theft |
3 |
Student Loan Scans |
99.8m (-2 million) |
Identify theft/scam payments |
4 |
East Money Scams |
80.9m (-63 million) |
Pay to make money/get job |
5 |
Search Listing Scams |
69.2m (-32 million) |
Pay to maintain search listing |
This Month's Winners
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in November were very similar to last month, with the exception that Baton Rouge beat out Washington D.C. for the most robocalls per person. Areas in the South continued to receive the most robocalls in November.
City with the Most Calls: |
Atlanta, GA (213.6 million) |
City with the Most Calls/Person: |
Baton Rouge, LA (53.6) |
Area Code with the Most Calls: |
404 in Atlanta, GA (90.3 million) |
Area Code with the Most Calls/Person: |
404 in Atlanta, GA (75.5) |
State with the Most Calls: |
Texas (577 million) |
State with the Most Calls/Person: |
Louisiana (31.5) |
2018 Timeline: The Year Thus Far
Consumers have seen an massive increase in robocalls this past year, and the problem continues to persist despite efforts by regulatory bodies like the FCC to limit the issue. Below is a timeline showing robocall volumes since the beginning of 2018:
Month |
Calls/Month |
Calls/Day |
Calls/Hour |
Call/Minute |
Calls/Second |
Nov. 2018 |
5.09 billion |
169.6 million |
7.1 million |
117,764 |
1,963 |
Oct. 2018 |
5.11 billion |
164..9 million |
6.9 million |
114,544 |
1,909 |
Sept. 2018 |
4.41 billion |
147.0 million |
6.1 million |
102,060 |
1,701 |
Aug. 2018 |
4.22 billion |
136.1 million |
5.7 million |
94,548 |
1,576 |
Jul. 2018 |
4.00 billion |
129.0 million |
5.4 million |
89,603 |
1,493 |
Jun. 2018 |
4.12 billion |
137.4 million |
5.7 million |
95,479 |
1,591 |
May 2018 |
4.06 billion |
130.9 million |
5.5 million |
90,961 |
1,516 |
Apr. 2018 |
3.36 billion |
112.0 million |
4.7 million |
77,802 |
1,297 |
Mar. 2018 |
3.16 billion |
101.8 million |
4.2 million |
70,695 |
1,178 |
Feb. 2018 |
2.75 billion |
98.1 million |
4.1 million |
68,149 |
1,136 |
Jan. 2018 |
2.88 billion |
95.8 million |
34.0 million |
64,408 |
1,073 |
These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a free robocall blocking solution for mobile phones. 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 of robocall volume across the country and for specific area codes each 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 Federal Communications Commission (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. is the leading provider of intelligent, cloud-based telecommunication services. The company's flagship service provides an automated virtual receptionist that replaces the subscriber's voicemail on iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. This service stops robocalls, and delights other callers by instantly greeting, routing, and responding to them, personally and memorably, and even provides free conference calls. YouMail also provides data on problematic phone number behavior, through a reverse phone lookup service that allows anyone to identify and comment on suspicious numbers, an application program interface (API) that any telecom service provider or third-party developer can use to determine whether a number is problematic, and the YouMail Robocall Index™, which 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:
Keya Balar for YouMail
Lumina Communications
[email protected]
646-791-9600
SOURCE YouMail, Inc.
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