Monthly Robocalls Dip Yet Still Reach 2.4 Billion Calls Nationwide in September

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming off a record-breaking month in August, the U.S. robocalling trend declined 18% in September to 2.4 billion calls nationwide, bringing the annual total to 22.5 billion robocalls received by Americans over the first nine months of 2017.

U.S. consumers were beset by at least 480 million scam calls during the month, or roughly 20% of all robocalls received, which is an estimated two scam calls per U.S. adult. Most of the scam calls involved various financial swindles in which callers requested personal information to ostensibly help consumers reduce their credit burdens. For example, some common scams promised interest rate reductions for credit card holders, or reduced payments for student loans – but only if the consumer transferred funds to the scammer or provided personally identifying data.

All 50 of the Most Robocalled Cities in America™ notched month-on-month decreases in overall robocall volumes in September. Yet the 2.4 billion total robocalls received nationwide in the month equaled an estimated 79.9 million robocalls per day, or 925 robocalls placed every second during September.

These estimates come from YouMail, a free service that has helped consumers stop over 500 million robocalls in the past year. YouMail compiles the scope and location of the worst robocalling hotspots across the country by area code in the YouMail Robocall Index™. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cited statistics from the YouMail Robocall Index as a definitive source for national data trends, just as more consumers are downloading the YouMail app to safeguard their mobile phones.

"In recent months we have tracked unusual fluctuations – both up and down – in the nation's robocalling volumes, yet this overall trend continues to barrage Americans with a continuous nuisance and lost productivity due to billions upon billions of robocalls," said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. "We are cautioning people to not answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, and to download robocall blocking software onto their phones."

Inbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from September

For the 22^nd month in a row, Atlanta led the country as the Most Robocalled City in America with more than 109.5 million robocalls received. Three new cities broke into the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities list in September, including Pittsburgh with 17.1 million robocalls (#41); Bakersfield with 16.8 million (#43); and Washington, D.C. with 16.1 million (#46).

Twenty-two of the top 31 cities that recorded the biggest drops in robocalls in September were based in Florida or Texas, which likely was related to the recent devastating hurricanes in those two states.

Four Georgia area codes made the list of the 20 Most Robocalled Area Codes in the country, including the 404, 678, 770 and 706 area codes. Three Texas area codes also made the list (214, 832 and 817), followed by two area codes in New York (917 and 347). Overall, 14 U.S. area codes got at least one robocall per capita every other day during September.

California overtook Texas as the most robocalled state in September, with 266.3 million robocalls received. Texas was the runner-up with 230.9 million robocalls received, followed by New York (167.4 million); Georgia (158.3 million); and Florida (144.4 million).

A new phone number has emerged as the top robo-dialing line in the nation after a credit card lender continuously held that dubious distinction for two straight years since the YouMail Robocall Index was launched. The new monthly leader belongs to a bank debt collector, eclipsing the prior leader which has logged 641 million calls in the last 25 months.

Outbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from September

Los Angeles overtook Chicago and Dallas to reclaim the top spot as the city that placed the most robocalls in September. L.A. generated some 66.0 million outbound calls in the month, followed by Chicago (63.6 million); Dallas (62.9 million); New York (58.1 million); and Atlanta (54.1 million).

Three cities more than doubled their outbound robocall activity in September, including Southfield, Michigan (+299%); Abilene, Texas (+292%); and Midland, Texas (+211%).

California emerged as the most prolific robocalling state in September with 185.6 million calls placed, followed by Texas (160 million); New York (116.4 million); Florida (109.1 million); and Ohio (78.9 million). Five other states notched significant increases in outbound robocalling in September, including Nevada (+13%); Wisconsin (+9%); Hawaii (+9%); District of Columbia (+8%); and Mississippi (+4%).

The Washington, DC 202 area code was by far the #1 area code making non-toll free robocalls in September, with 49.4 million calls placed. That nearly doubled the output of the #2 area code, 614 in Columbus, Ohio, with 27.7 million outbound calls.

For more information about the YouMail Robocall Index or to view the latest report, please visit: http://robocallindex.com. 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, provides free conference calls, and delights callers by instantly greeting, routing, and responding to callers, personally and memorably. 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: 
Matt Russell for YouMail 
Lumina Communications 
[email protected] 
646-741-8359

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.

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