Americans continue to be inundated with robocalls, many of them involving scams, according to a new report from YouMail, a call-blocking service.
In April 2024, consumers received 4.4 billion robocalls, a 3.4% increase compared to the previous month and a 3.1% decrease over the same period a year ago, according to the latest robocall index from YouMail.
While the month-over-month variation is within the typical range, YouMail says, of the number of robocalls received, scam calls in particular jumped 73% – from 345 million to more than 710 million – from one month to the next, according to the data.
How Many Robocalls Have Americans Gotten Lately?
Here’s a snapshot of the top robocalls from April, the latest data available:
- 146.9 million calls per day
- 6.1 million calls per hour
- 1,700 calls per second
- 13.4 calls per person
“Over the past 4 months, we’ve now reached a lower ongoing level of robocalls, where the daily robocall volume has been very steady,” YouMail CEO Alex Quilici says in a news release. “The keys now are to understand where we can reduce the volume of illegal and unlawful robocalls further.”
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 2024.
Here Are the Most Targeted Cities for Robocalls
| Metro Area | Estimated Calls Received | % Change Month Over Month |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 162,548,400 | 0 |
| Dallas | 153,946,100 | 3 |
| Chicago | 135,599,500 | 3 |
| Houston | 134,908,500 | 3 |
| New York | 115,721,900 | -2 |
| Los Angeles | 115,110,000 | 3 |
| Baltimore | 77,992,800 | 3 |
| Phoenix | 74,757,800 | 8 |
| Newark | 62,639,500 | 4 |
| Detroit | 59,999,500 | 4 |
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.
“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.
