Robocall Volumes Slowly Increase From Their Lows During the Spring Quarantine
Americans received just over 3.8 billion robocalls in September, an approximately 4% increase from August. In September, robocalls averaged 126.9 million calls/day or roughly 1,469 calls/second, up 7% from 118.3 million calls/day and 1,370 calls/second in August. There have been just over 33.9 billion robocalls so far in the first 9 months of the year, a pace that indicates a projected yearly total of around 50 billion robocalls, down from almost 58.5 billion robocalls last year.
These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones.
“Robocalls continue to grow more slowly than we expected as the world reopens,” said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. “The issue is that if the rate of calls per day keeps growing at 5% to 10% per month, robocalls will become a more and more noticeable problem throughout the rest of the year.”
Robocall Categories Were Similar in September
The breakdown of categories was similar in September compared to August. Scams and telemarketing together continue to be a big headache, with roughly 2.3 billion calls between them and comprising roughly 60% of the month’s total robocall volume.
| Type ofRobocall | Estimated SeptemberRobocalls | Percentage September Robocalls |
| Scams | 1.8 billion (+5%). | 48% (+2%) |
| Alerts and Reminders | .98 billion (+3%) | 26% (+0%) |
| Payment Reminders | .54 billion (flat) | 14% (-1%) |
| Telemarketing | .47 billion (-5%) | 12% (-1%) |
Top Illegal Robocalls in September 2020
In September, Car Warranty Scam calls remained the most frequently made illegal robocall type for the third consecutive month, while Medical Scams continued to represent the next most frequent category of illegal robocalls. The month also saw a third type of scam gain significant traction: government imposter scams from fraudsters pretending to be the Internal Revenue Service or Social Security Administration, or some other government agency calling.
| Rank | Type of Scam | Estimated September Robocalls | Summary of Scam |
| 1 | Warranty Scams | 244.2 million | Scam payments/illegal solicitations |
| 2 | Health-Related Scams | 218.4 million | Identity theft/scam payments/illegal solicitations |
| 3 | Gov’t. Imposter Scams | 110.4 million | Identify theft/scam payments |
“Winners” in September 2020
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in September were similar to what we’ve seen the past few months. The main change is that South Carolina took over as the state with the most robocalls per person in the past month, replacing Louisiana.
| City with the Most Robocalls: | Atlanta, GA (149.7 million, +2%) |
| City with the Most Robocalls/Person: | Washington, D.C. (33.3/person, -1%) |
| Area Code with the Most Robocalls: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (63.0 million, +1%) |
| Area Code with the Most Robocalls/Person: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (51.6/person, +1%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls: | Texas (432.8 million, +5%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls/Person: | South Carolina (21.5, +4%) |
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