Robotexts Increase While Robocalls Drop For Third Consecutive Month, According to Robokiller Insights

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Jun 08, 2023, 11:02 ET

NEW YORK, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans received 14.2 billion robotexts and 4.6 billion robocalls in May, a 9% increase and 10% decrease, respectively, according to Robokiller Insights. The two categories continue to follow diverging paths — this marks the third consecutive month-over-month increase in SMS spam and the second consecutive month-over-month decrease in unwanted calls.

Government anti-robocall efforts continue to pay dividends
The decrease in robocalls can be attributed largely to the government's successful efforts to crack down on specific high-volume robocalls. Yet, although the quantity of robocalls is dropping, the damage they cause is escalating. Americans have lost $29 billion to robocalls already in 2023, outpacing 2022's record losses. Scammers are getting better results despite fewer calls, signifying they continue to refine their tactics and double down on scams that work. According to the FTC, the median amount lost to phone scams so far in 2023 is $1,286, more than the $1,000 from late 2022.

"As the FCC continues to successfully crack down on robocalls, Robokiller has confirmed yet another monthly decrease in spam call volume. That doesn't mean we're out of the woods, however, as scammers are becoming more clever with the tactics they are using to scam Americans, " said Patrick Falzon, General Manager at Teltech, creators of Robokiller. "Robocalls may be decreasing in volume, but they're costly. And, although Americans may enjoy a little reprieve from the volume of robocalls, the larger increase in robotexts means they are actually getting more phone spam overall. We suggest Americans have a robocall and robotext blocker on their phone like Robokiller to protect themselves from emerging scams."

Surging robotexts are leading to greater fraud losses
Robotexts increased 9% month-over-month, and Robokiller predicts this trend will continue for the remainder of the year, with losses already reaching $12 billion in 2023 (up 58% from 2022). Robokiller warns Americans to be cautious when receiving text messages from unknown numbers or those claiming to be well-known businesses, especially if you're not expecting that particular company to contact you.

May 2023 key trends

Top robotexts nationwide:

Robotext category	Estimated robotexts	% of total robotexts
Delivery (UPS, USPS, Amazon, etc.)	1,553,848,396	10.85 %
Political	1,478,418,955	10.34 %
Bank	444,324,005	3.11 %
Travel	249,228,536	1.74 %

In May, Americans were frequently targeted with delivery-related messages that suggested they missed a delivery, needed to update their delivery preferences, or that a package was pending. Those messages often contained links that, once clicked, could ask them to provide personal information or install malware on their phones. However, not all robotexts were scams, as political messages are making their way to phones just ahead of next year's presidential election and are anticipated to increase as election day draws near.

Top robocalls nationwide:

Robocall category	Estimated robocalls	% of Total Robocalls
Telemarketing	3,732,553,698	80 %
Scam	173,348,452	3.74 %
Medical	67,207,288	1.45 %
Debt Collector	44,032,361	0.95 %

Even though robocalls may be on the decline, Americans need to be aware of more targeted robocall scams like the recent AI scams that impersonate a loved one in order to steal money or your personal information. While this scam is relatively new, this is another reason Americans should ignore calls from unknown numbers. Scammers play on vulnerabilities, and these scams can often lead to falling victim.

Tips on how to stop phone scams:

Don't answer calls or texts from unknown numbers, especially those who call or text at odd hours.
Don't follow prompts like "Press 1" or click any links.
Never provide personal information like banking details or other sensitive information.
Download a spam text and call blocker like Robokiller to equip your phone with the latest technology to stop scams.

About Robokiller
With more than 12 million downloads and $600 million in losses prevented, Robokiller is the leading independent spam call and text blocker. Robokiller has been named a technical and mobile achievement leader by the Webby Awards, Media Excellence, Best in Biz, and more. Robokiller was named the most effective solution to robocalls by the FTC.

Robokiller's robocall and spam text insights are powered by a global database of millions of phone scams and audio fingerprints. Robokiller's proprietary data insights have been featured by The New York Times, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, and many others.

Robokiller is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. To learn more, visit www.robokiller.com. Robokiller, a Teltech brand, is a division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).

SOURCE Robokiller