Over 3.6 Billion Robocalls in July Mark 9% Monthly Increase, Says YouMail Robocall Index

Robocalls Continue to March Back Upwards After Declining Under the Spring Quarantine

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Aug 06, 2020, 12:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans received just over 3.6 billion robocalls in July, an approximately 9% increase from June. In July, robocalls averaged just over 117.1 million calls per day, or roughly 1,356 calls per second. The good news is that the July robocall volume is still 36% below the all-time monthly peak of 5.7 billion calls in October 2019. The bad news is that we are now 27% above the April trough of roughly 2.8 billion robocalls.

These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones.

"Robocalls continue to grow as countries around the world open up again, which is not unexpected," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "While we don't anticipate robocalls going back to peak levels, we fully expect the rising monthly trend to continue for some time."

July's Increase Driven by Scams and Telemarketing

In July, Scam robocalls increased by 12%, to roughly 1.7 billion calls, and we saw a substantial 22% increase in Telemarketing calls to nearly 500 million calls. This trend was driven by call centers continuing to open, where there are now people to handle return calls or "press 1" when called.

Type of Robocall	Estimated July Robocalls	Percentage July Robocalls
Scams	1.7 billion (+12%)	46% (+1%)
Alerts and Reminders	.90 billion (+1%)	25% (-1%)
Payment Reminders	.56 billion (flat)	16% (-1%)
Telemarketing	.49 billion (+22%)	13% (+1%)

Top Illegal Robocalls in July 2020

In July, Car Warranty Scam calls became the most frequently made robocalls for the first time, finally surpassing Health-Related Scams. This is likely due to the main health insurance campaigns having been fined by the FCC and the traffic being shut down by various wholesale carriers.

Rank	Type of Scam	Estimated July Robocalls	Summary of Scam
1	Warranty Scams	208.4 million	Scam payments/illegal solicitations
2	Health-Related Scams	192.6 million	Identity theft/scam payments/illegal solicitations

"Winners" in July 2020

The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in July were identical to last month, albeit all at higher volumes.

City with the Most Robocalls:	Atlanta, GA (143 million, +6%)
City with the Most Robocalls/Person:	Baton Rouge (32.9/person, +12%)
Area Code with the Most Robocalls:	404 in Atlanta, GA (62.7 million, +11%)
Area Code with the Most Robocalls/Person:	404 in Atlanta, GA (51.3/person, +11%)
State with the Most Robocalls:	Texas (412.5 million, +7%)
State with the Most Robocalls/Person:	Louisiana (21.4, +11%)

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, Inc. provides security-first, cloud-based communication services for mobile phones. Our free app-based service uses sophisticated, patented technology to block robocalls and phishing messages, protecting users from spam, identify theft, stalkers, and corporate fraud. Our premium call management services provide virtual receptionist and virtual number services, and they are designed for people who use their mobile phone for business. These services help them unify virtual numbers with their cell number, handle high volumes of mobile calls, and provide personalized answering experiences for their callers. YouMail's communications platform handles over a billion calls per year for over 10 million users, and our users range from everyday consumers to sole proprietors to the CEOs of the largest companies in America. The YouMail Robocall Index™, 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. 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.