More Than 3.8 Billion Robocalls in September Mark 4% Monthly Increase

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.

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.

“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.