Just Over 4 Billion Robocalls in January Mark 3.7% Monthly Increase, Says YouMail Robocall Index
January Robocalls Are Above 2020’s Monthly Average Of 3.8 Billion Robocalls
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Americans received just over 4 billion robocalls in January, an increase of approximately 3.7% over December. In January, robocalls averaged 129.5 million calls/day, or roughly 1,500 calls/second, down 2% from 124.8 million calls/day and 1,445 calls/second in December. While it is very early in the year, this is a pace of over 48 billion robocalls for 2021, which would be greater than every year except 2019.
These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones.
“Robocall volumes appear to be resuming their slow journey back toward their pre-pandemic levels,” said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. “As call centers continue to open more widely, it’s not surprising that robocalls are increasing.”
January 2020 Saw An Increase in Scam Calls
In January, scam calls and telemarketing calls combined continued to account for roughly 60% of the month’s total robocall volume, similar to past months. Unfortunately, the total number of scam and telemarketing calls exceeded 2.3 billion calls for the month, a very substantial number of likely unwanted and/or illegal calls.
| Type ofRobocall | Estimated JanuaryRobocalls | Percentage January Robocalls |
| Scams | 1.8 billion (+8%). | 46% (+2%) |
| Alerts and Reminders | 1.1 billion (+7%) | 27% (+1%) |
| Payment Reminders | .57 billion (-1%) | 14% (-1%) |
| Telemarketing | .54 billion (-4%) | 13% (-2%) |
Top Illegal Robocalls in January 2020
The leading illegal types of robocalls in January continued to be those involving Car Warranties and Health-Related Scams. Warranty Scams in particular notched almost 100 million more calls in January than December.
| Rank | Type of Scam | Estimated January Robocalls | Summary of Scam |
| 1 | Warranty Scams | 265 million (+96m) | Scam payments/illegal solicitations |
| 2 | Health-Related Scams | 179 million (-33m) | Identify theft/scam payments/illegal solicitations |
“Winners” in January 2020
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in January were similar to what we’ve seen over the past few months. The biggest changes were Baton Rouge, Louisiana overtaking Macon, Georgia as the city whose residents get the most calls per person, and Tennessee replacing South Carolina as the state whose residents get the most calls per person.
| Cities with the Most Robocalls: | Atlanta, GA (162.0 million, -3%)Dallas, TX (142.0 million, -1%) |
| Cities with the Most Robocalls/Person: | Baton Rouge, LA (32.8/person, -1%)Macon, GA (32.6 /person, -3%) |
| Area Codes with the Most Robocalls: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (69.7 million, -2%)214 in Dallas, TX (53.7 million, -1%) |
| Area Codes with the Most Robocalls/Person: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (57.0/person, -2%)215 in Macon, GA (32.8/person, -1%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls: | Texas (444.9 million, -2%)California (353.8 million, -1%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls/Person: | Tennessee (23.7/person, +14%)Alabama (23.5/person, +6) |
These data are provided by YouMail, a free call protection app for mobile phones.
