Just Under 4.1 Billion Robocalls in August Mark 4% Monthly Drop, Says YouMail Robocall Index

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans received just under 4.1 billion robocalls in August, a 4.4% decrease in volume over July. In August, robocalls averaged 130.9 million calls/day and 1,515 calls/second, down 3.8% from June's 136.3 million calls/day and 1,578 calls/second.

Americans have received over 34 billion robocalls so far this year, averaging roughly 4.3 billion robocalls calls/month, putting the country on a pace to hit roughly 52 billion robocalls for the year. However, since STIR/SHAKEN and new federal robocall mitigation rules took effect on June 30, we have seen 8.6% fewer robocalls/month.

These latest monthly figures are provided by YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones. These figures are determined by extrapolating from the robocall traffic attempting to get through to YouMail's millions of active users.

"We've now seen the second straight month with a decline in robocalls since the STIR/SHAKEN rollout on June 30th, with its dramatic impact on the ability of robocallers to reach consumers with illegal, spoofed calls," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "However, we have not gone off a cliff in robocall volume, and the volume of calls is still within the general range it has been in all year, so illegal robocallers clearly haven't given up in their attempts to reach consumers."

August 2021 Saw a Big Decrease in Scam Calls

In August, the number of scam calls decreased by 11%, the second significant monthly percentage decline in scam calls, likely showing the impact of STIR/SHAKEN. However, while telemarketing calls were roughly flat, there was a meaningful increase in legal robocalls around alerts and reminders and payment reminders.

Top Illegal Robocalls in August 2021

As in past months, Car Warranty calls and Health-Related scam calls continued to be the top types of robocalls, however they are occurring at lower levels. Car Warranty calls continued to lead the way with 212 million calls, down roughly 38 million calls in the month. Health-Related Scams calls decreased to 116 million calls, down a whopping 89 million calls compared to the month of July.

"Winners" in August 2021

In August, there were several changes in the cities and states registering the highest volumes of robocalls versus July. Memphis, Tennessee returned as the second most robocalled city on a per capita basis, following Baton Rouge. Macon, Georgia, slipped to third place. Louisiana is once again the most robocalled state on a per capita basis, as Tennessee falls to third place.

These data are provided by YouMail, a free call protection 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 protects consumers, enterprises, and carriers from harmful phone calls.  YouMail protects consumers with app-based call protection services. YouMail protects consumer-facing enterprises by detecting and helping to shut down imposter traffic that can lead to financial or brand damage. We protect carriers with robocall mitigation services that detect when bad traffic is originating, traversing, or terminating on their networks. Our direct consumer solutions answer over a billion live calls per year across well over 10 million registered users, powering America's most robust telephone sensor network in identifying and providing zero-hour protection against illegal calling campaigns and cyberattacks. We also operate the YouMail Robocall Index™, the nation's definitive source on telephone network activity and attacks. YouMail, Inc. is privately funded and based in Irvine, California.

Contact:

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

SOURCE YouMail Inc.