IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 9th, 2020 — Americans received just under 3.7 billion robocalls in August, an approximately 1% increase from July. In August, robocalls averaged 118.3 million calls/day or roughly 1,370 calls/second, up from 117.1 million calls/day and 1,356 calls/second in July. There have been just over 30.1 billion robocalls so far in the first 8 months of the year, averaging 3.8 billion/month, or 18% lower than the 2019 average of 4.9 billion robocalls/month.
These latest monthly figures come from YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones.
“Robocalls grew at a surprisingly low rate in August, despite economies continuing to reopen,” said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. “While we would love for this slow rate of growth to continue, we expect this is just a pleasant hiccup as robocalls continue a steady rise.”
Robocall Categories Were Similar in August
The breakdown of categories was similar in August compared to July. Scams and telemarketing together remained a big headache, with roughly 2.2 billion calls between them, and nearly 60% of the month’s total robocall volume.
| Type of Robocall | Estimated August Robocalls | Percentage August Robocalls |
| Scams | 1.7 billion (+0%). | 46% (+0%) |
| Alerts and Reminders | .95 billion (+5%) | 26% (+1%) |
| Payment Reminders | .54 billion (-3%) | 15% (-1%) |
| Telemarketing | .49 billion (-3%) | 13% (+0%) |
Top Illegal Robocalls in August 2020
In August, Car Warranty Scam calls remained the most frequently made illegal robocall for the second consecutive month, while Medical Scams continued to represent the next most frequent category of illegal robocalls.
| Rank | Type of Scam | Estimated August Robocalls | Summary of Scam |
| 1 | Warranty Scams | 211.8 million | Scam payments/illegal solicitations |
| 2 | Health-Related Scams | 204.0 million | Identity theft/scam payments/illegal solicitations |
“Winners” in August 2020
The cities, area codes and states with the highest volumes of robocalls in August were similar to what we’ve seen the past few months. The main changes are that Washington DC is now the city getting the most robocalls/person, wresting that title from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
| City with the Most Robocalls: | Atlanta, GA (147 million, +3%) |
| City with the Most Robocalls/Person: | Washington, D.C. (33.7person, +4%) |
| Area Code with the Most Robocalls: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (62.7 million, +0%) |
| Area Code with the Most Robocalls/Person: | 404 in Atlanta, GA (51.3/person, +0%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls: | Texas (411.8 million, +0%) |
| State with the Most Robocalls/Person: | Louisiana (21.1, -1%) |
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].
