Americans continue to be barraged with robocalls, many of them involving scams, according to a new report from YouMail, a call-blocking service.
In March 2023, consumers received just under 5 billion robocalls, the most since November 2019, according to the latest robocall index from YouMail.
Of the number of robocalls received, 2.2 billion of those were unwanted scam and telemarketing calls, which increased more than 20% compared to the previous month.
How Many Robocalls Have Americans Gotten Lately?
Here’s a snapshot of the top robocalls from March, the latest data available:
- 161.1 million calls per day
- 6.7 million calls per hour
- 1,900 calls per second
- 15.2 calls per person
“March’s increase in robocall volume is disappointing, as we’ve been expecting the call volumes to start to decline, given the significant enforcement efforts and in-network call blocking now done by the carriers,” YouMail CEO Alex Quilici in a news release.
It appears that robocallers like some locations more than others. Let’s take a look at YouMail’s statistics for the metropolitan areas with the most robocalls in March 2023.
Here Are the Most Targeted Cities for Robocalls
Metro Area | Estimated Calls Received | % Change Month Over Month |
---|---|---|
Atlanta | 197,211,700 | 15 |
Dallas | 182,198,100 | 16 |
Chicago | 168,094,700 | 17 |
Houston | 151,097,100 | 16 |
Los Angeles | 148,530,400 | 23 |
New York | 143,439,800 | 13 |
Philadelphia | 91,707,800 | 12 |
Baltimore | 87,985,300 | 15 |
Phoenix | 78,887,600 | 13 |
Newark | 77,389,800 | 18 |
Take a deep dive into YouMail’s latest robocall data.
3 Ways To Stop Unwanted Calls
Robocalls aren’t just an annoying waste of time. Many crooks use robocalls to try to scam you out of your money. Here are three ways you can stop those robocalls or any unwanted calls.
1. Don’t Know the Number? Don’t Answer
Money expert Clark Howard has a strategy to prevent getting scammed.
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“It’s a simple rule. If I don’t recognize the number as being from someone I know, I do not answer the call.”
2. Use Your Phone’s Call-Blocking Features
Many of today’s phones from Apple and Android have call-blocking features that you may not know about. Use them!
How To Block a Caller on an iPhone
- Open the phone app.
- Tap on Recents.
- Tap the Info button next to the phone number you want to block.
- Scroll down and tap Block this Caller.
Read iPhone’s call-blocking guide.
How To Block a Caller on an Android Phone
The following steps work for Android phones with Android 6.0 and up.
- Open your Phone app
- Tap More
then Call history
- Tap the number you want to block.
- Tap Block / report spam.
Read Android’s call-blocking guide.
3. Use Call-Blocking Tools and Apps
I use the YouMail app to screen calls for scammers and other nuisances. Read the Team Clark review of YouMail for more details.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says, “Talk to your phone company about call-blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.”
The major cell phone carriers provide anti-junk call initiatives to cut down on nuisance calls to their customers. Here are a few:
- AT&T – ActiveArmor The call-blocking service comes as a free tool as well as a version with more features for $3.99 a month. Available for Android and iOS.
- T-Mobile Scam Shield: This free app is available to T-Mobile postpaid customers on Android and iOS.
- Verizon Call Filter: This free app lets you screen incoming calls. There’s also a Plus version for $3.99 a month on Android and iOS.
If you want to learn more, read up on how to stop spam calls for good.

