A Record 5.1 Billion Robocalls in October for YouMail Robocall Index
Robocalls Rise 15.9% Over the Prior Month, and 104.7% Over October of One Year-Ago
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's robocalling trend continues to grow, setting a new monthly record of 5.1 billion robocalls received nationwide in October, which marks the first time the monthly total has topped 5 billion robocalls since the YouMail Robocall Index launched in 2015. The number of calls in October more than doubled those made in January. This volume equaled some 170 million calls placed every day during October, or 1,973 robocalls for every second of the month, both new records.
"Every time we think the robocall epidemic has peaked, it turns out it hasn't," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "Carriers, call-blocking apps like YouMail, and consumers all have critical roles to play in finally making inroads to stopping this troubling problem."
Robocalls Continue to Be Driven by Scams
Combined scam and telemarketing calls continued to account for roughly 60% of all robocalls, with over 2.1 billion scam calls, and well over 3 billion combined calls made in October. That is an enormous number of calls which the majority of consumers just do not want to receive.
Type of Robocall | Estimated Oct. Robocalls | Percentage of Oct. Robocalls |
Alerts and Reminders | 885 million (+162 million) | 17% (+1%) |
Payment Reminders | 1.175 billion (+175 million) | 23% (flat) |
Telemarketing | 912 million (+35 million) | 18% (-2%) |
Scams | 2.140 billion (+340 million) | 42% (1%) |
The top five scam types remained identical between September and October. The main change involved Health Insurance Scams that continued to increase in volume, with an estimated 500 million such calls made in October. In perhaps some good news, Easy Money Scams, Interest Rate Scams and Search Listing Scams all declined in volume.
Rank | Type of Scam | Estimated Sept Robocalls | Summary of Scam |
1 | Health/Health Insurance Scams | 499.8m (+91 million) | Identify theft/scam payments |
2 | Easy Money Scams | 144.4m (-43 million) | Pay to make money/get job |
3 | Interest Rate Scams | 132.3m (-14 million) | Identity theft |
4 | Student Loan Scams | 101.7m (+27 million) | Identify theft/scam payments |
5 | Search Listing Scams | 100.8 m (-13 million) | Pay to maintain search listing |
This Month's Winners
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in October were:
City with the Most Calls: | Atlanta, GA (219.8 million) |
City with the Most Calls/Person: | Washington, DC (53.6) |
Area Code with the Most Calls: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (95.8 million) |
Area Code with the Most Calls/Person: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (78.3) |
State with the Most Calls: | Texas (593 million) |
State with the Most Calls/Person: | Louisiana (31.2) |
2018 Timeline: The Year Thus Far
Consumers have seen an 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 |
Oct. 2018 | 5.1 billion | 170.4 million | 7.1 million | 118,362 | 1,973 |
Sept. 2018 | 4.4 billion | 147.0 million | 6.1 million | 102,060 | 1,701 |
Aug. 2018 | 4.2 billion | 136.1 million | 5.7 million | 94,548 | 1,576 |
Jul. 2018 | 4.0 billion | 129.0 million | 5.4 million | 89,603 | 1,493 |
Jun. 2018 | 4.1 billion | 137.4 million | 5.7 million | 95,479 | 1,591 |
May 2018 | 4.1 billion | 130.9 million | 5.5 million | 90,961 | 1,516 |
Apr. 2018 | 3.4 billion | 112.0 million | 4.7 million | 77,802 | 1,297 |
Mar. 2018 | 3.2 billion | 101.8 million | 4.2 million | 70,695 | 1,178 |
Feb. 2018 | 2.8 billion | 98.1 million | 4.1 million | 68,149 | 1,136 |
Jan. 2018 | 2.9 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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