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A Record 5.1 Billion Robocalls in October for YouMail Robocall Index
[November 08, 2018]

A Record 5.1 Billion Robocalls in October for YouMail Robocall Index


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

 

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-record-5-1-billion-robocalls-in-october-for-youmail-robocall-index-300746545.html

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.


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