Nearly 4.7 Billion Robocalls Made in December, According to YouMail Robocall Index
Robocallers Go on Vacation, Leading to Decrease from Past Months
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's robocalling epidemic continues apace, with 4.7 billion robocalls received nationwide in December, an 8% decrease from the peak in October. This volume still equaled 150.9 million robocalls placed every day during December, and 1,747 robocalls for every second of the month.
"Finally, we're seeing a meaningful month-over-month decline in robocalls," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "Unfortunately, this is most likely due to robocallers taking some time off for the holidays and not likely to be the start of a trend."
Robocalls Continue to Be Driven by Scams
Combined scam and telemarketing calls accounted for roughly 58% of all robocalls in December, but with nearly 450 million fewer scam calls and with over 140 million additional telemarketing calls. The data shows many scam calls dried up almost completely in the last few weeks of the month, giving everyone a holiday respite from scam calls.
Type of Robocall |
Estimated Dec. Robocalls |
Percentage of Dec. Robocalls |
Alerts and Reminders |
978 million (-19 million) |
21% (+2%) |
Payment Reminders |
983 million (-117 million) |
21% (no change) |
Telemarketing |
1.138 million (+141 million) |
24% (+4%) |
Scams |
1.578 million (-448 million) |
34% (-6%) |
The top five scam types changed slightly for the first time since September. While Health Insurance Scams, Interest Rate Scams, and Student Loan Scams continued to have the highest volume, they all declined significantly in volume during December. Further, an increase in Warranty-Related scams pushed Search Listings Scams out of the Top 5.
Rank |
Type of Scam |
Estimated Dec. Robocalls |
Summary of Scam |
1 |
Health/Health Insurance Scams |
262.7m (-185.9 million) |
Identify theft/scam payments |
2 |
Interest Rate Scams |
139.4m (-37.2 million) |
Identify theft |
3 |
Student Loan Scans |
77.5m (-22.3 million) |
Identify theft/scam payments |
4 |
Warranty Scams |
70.5m (+4.1 million) |
Pay for unneeded/poor warranty |
5 |
Easy Money Scams |
69.1m (-21.8 million) |
Pay to make money/get job |
This Month's Winners
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in December were very similar to the trends for November. Areas in the South continued to receive the most robocalls in December, just like they have for all of 2018.
City with the Most Calls: |
Atlanta, GA (198.4 million) |
City with the Most Calls/Person: |
Baton Rouge, LA (48.1 million) |
Area Code with the Most Calls: |
404 in Atlanta, GA (90 million) |
Area Code with the Most Calls/Person: |
404 in Atlanta, GA (71.1 million) |
State with the Most Calls: |
Texas (533 million) |
State with the Most Calls/Person: |
Louisiana (30.2 million) |
2018 Timeline: The Year Thus Far
Consumers have seen a 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 |
Dec. 2018 |
4.68 billion |
150.9 million |
6.3 million |
104, 820 |
1,746 |
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.
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article