U.S. Phones Hammered by 2.4 Billion Robocalls in November

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans were hit by an estimated 2.37 billion robocalls in November 2016, a 4% decrease over October but an increase of 141% over the same month last year.

The latest monthly results mark the first time that the nation's robocall volume has declined for three straight months since the YouMail Robocall Index™ was launched in September 2015. These figures suggest that the rapid growth rate for the nation's robocalling epidemic may be stabilizing.

The call total for November equaled an average of 913 robocalls placed every second during the month, or roughly 78.9 million robocalls every day. YouMail estimates that U.S. phones have received more than 26 billion robocalls to date this calendar year.

These numbers come from the latest YouMail Robocall Index™ report released today by YouMail, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent telecom services for consumers and small businesses. 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 is helping to lead the fight against this growing national dilemma by:

1. Measuring the problem. YouMail's Robocall Index provides additional details about robocalls in each area code, so anyone can research the scope of the problem in their home area codes.
2. Providing solutions for consumers and businesses. YouMail provides iPhone and Android apps that stop robocallers from calling mobile phones by playing them an "out of service" message. YouMail also provides a reverse phone lookup service that allows anyone to identify and comment on suspicious numbers.
3. Helping carriers provide services that block incoming robocalls. YouMail has developed an application program interface (API) that any telecom service provider or third-party developer can use to determine whether a number is problematic.

"Our country is struggling with an ongoing source of frustration and a huge drain on productivity due to this continuous incoming stream of robocalls," said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. "Mitigating this problem will require a united effort by telecom carriers, federal regulators and members of the public."

Inbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from November

Southern states and cities continued to suffer as the areas hardest hit by auto-dialers in November. Texas was slammed with the most robocalls of any state for the sixth consecutive month, with 274.6 million calls received.

In fact, Southern states were home to 15 of the Top 20 most robocalled area codes during the month, and 21 Southern cities made the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities list during November. The top five states for November (Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and New York) received nearly 1 billion combined calls for the month. The state of Virginia recorded the biggest monthly jump in robocalls, growing 40% month-over-month and moving up three states on the national list to #14.

Atlanta continued its reign as America's #1 Most Robocalled City for the 12^th month in a row, receiving 106.1 million robocalls during November. Baton Rouge, La., notched the biggest jump in robocalls on a percentage basis with 8% more robocalls in November than in October, catapulting Baton Rouge from #47 to #35 on the Top 50 Most Robocalled Cities list.

Three other Southern cities recorded notable robocall increases for November, including #13 Miami (up 7% vs. October); #18 Tampa, Fla. (up 4%); and #23 Columbia, SC (up 3%).

Outbound Robocalling "Lowlights" from November

Los Angeles overtook Dallas in November to reclaim its top spot as the city generating the most robocalls, with 54.7 million robocalls placed in the month. Dallas posted a 22.7% decrease in outbound robocalls from October to November.

Several area codes jumped up to enter the Top 20 list of most prolific robocalling area codes in November. New entrants included #8 Austin, TX area code 512 (22.1 million calls placed); #12 Buffalo, NY 716 (16.7 million calls); #13 Orlando 407 (16.1 million); #17 San Diego 619 (14.7 million); and #19 Las Vegas (14.6 million).

Debt collectors continued to dominate as the main source of the nation's robocalls, including 19 of the Top 20 robocall phone numbers by volume in November. The other number reaching the Top 20 list belonged to a health insurance provider.

One national credit card company has held onto the top spot as the most prolific robocalling phone number for 15 straight months, with an auto-dialing line that logged 19.8 million calls in November alone. That single phone number has been the source of 422.4 million calls over those 15 months.

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 intelligent call manager that replaces the subscriber's voicemail on iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. This service stops robocalls, provides free conference calls, and includes an automated virtual receptionist for handling other calls. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., YouMail, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is privately funded.

Contacts:
Janette Ciborowski for YouMail
Lumina Communications (formerly Gutenberg Communications)
[email protected] 
734-330-8817

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.