U.S. Phones Hit by 2.42 Billion Robocalls in July

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Automated robodialers bombarded U.S. phones with 2.42 billion robocalls in July, raising the national total to 16.8 billion robocalls received across America from January through July of this year.

The monthly result equals a staggering 78 million robocalls received on average each day in July, or 902 robocalls every second during the month, according to YouMail's free monthly report that tracks robocall volumes across the country. That's an average of 7.1 robocalls for every American phone in July.

These alarming results stem 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 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.

One notable trend involves the fact that 20% of robocalls were made from just three populous states: Texas, California and Florida. This geographic concentration may indicate an uptick in "local" robocalls placed by dialers who spoof or acquire locally listed numbers because consumers are more likely to pick up incoming calls from their own area codes, according to YouMail CEO Alex Quilici.

"Robocallers are wreaking havoc on U.S. productivity, and they are testing the patience of millions of frustrated consumers," said Quilici. "It's time to fight back. Americans can use services that help them identify, ignore, and eliminate robocalls. They can contribute to the data these services use by providing spam reports, and they can push their carriers to better support and drive awareness of these services that exist now."

Inbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from July

Overall, Atlanta led the YouMail 50 Most Robocalled Cities in America™ list for the eighth month in a row, with 101.4 million robocalls received in July, a 2% increase over June. Los Angeles had the largest monthly increase, rising 11% from June to 74.6 million robocalls in July, followed by Washington, DC (+9%); Buffalo, NY (+9%); and Columbus, OH (+8%).

Of the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities, 21 were based in Southern states, and 15 of the 20 most robocalled area codes were also in Southern states. Atlanta's 404 area code was the nation's hardest hit area code per capita, with roughly 43.8 million calls received – or 1.19 robocalls per person each day for the entire month.

Other area codes blasted by robocalls in July included Baton Rouge, LA 225 (1.0 calls daily per capita on average); Macon, GA 478 (0.6); Memphis, TN 901 (0.6); New Orleans, LA 504 (0.6); Little Rock, AR 501 (0.6) and Birmingham, AL 205 (0.6).

Texas was the most robocalled state, with 276.2 million calls received in July. The top six states combined – Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Illinois – received more than one billion cumulative robocalls during July.

Outbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from July

Chicago jumped up six spots to unseat Columbus, OH, as the city placing the most robocalls, with 55.1 million outbound calls in July. Columbus slipped to fifth place with 46.5 million calls placed. Other cities ranking in the top five included Dallas (54.8 million calls placed), Los Angeles (54.4 million), and Houston (51.5 million). Denver and Kansas City also notched big increases in July. Denver rose from #17 to #9 on the list, with 39.5 million calls placed. Kansas City entered the Top 20 list at #7 with 44.1 million calls placed.

Debt collections remained the overwhelming cause of U.S. robocalls. Of the Top 20 robocallers in July, 18 involved debt collectors. Nine were from bank debt collectors, and six were from retail debt collectors. One national credit card company continued to hold the most active single robocalling number for the 11^th straight month, with an estimated 23.2 million calls placed in July.

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 let it roll to voicemail. 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. Then, YouMail's smart blocking algorithms will combine these consumer spam reports with calling patterns to play "Out of Service" greetings to these robocalls, 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.