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You’re not imagining it: Robocalls are on the rise

Data shows that computerized telemarketers are spamming more and more people’s phones.

You’re not imagining it: Robocalls are on the rise

[Photo: Kal Loftus/Unsplash]

BY Cale Guthrie Weissman1 minute read

If you have, well, a phone number, you’ve probably received a robocall before. It was likely one of those annoying calls from an unknown number featuring a computer voice badgering you about some stupid service you supposedly need to buy. If you’ve been noticing more and more of these correspondences, you’re not alone.

Data backs this up too. According to the voicemail and call-blocking services company YouMail, the volume of robocalls increased 50% from February to July, reports NBC News.

It’s also not you that’s causing this influx, but perhaps your area code. Certain regions receive markedly more robocalls than others. The Georgia area code 404 received the most, with people getting an average 68.9 calls during the month of September. After that is Washington, D.C.’s 202 and Louisiana’s 225 area codes.

It’s true, some of these calls aren’t bad. The robot calling you to remind you to pick up your prescription at Walgreen’s technically counts as a robocall, but the number of spammy ones is huge. According to the data, 40% of the 4.4 billion robocalls made in the U.S. during September were from scams. That’s 1.76 billion robocalls in one month.

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Even if you put yourself on a Do Not Call list, illegal spammers can still very easily push robocalls your way. Carriers and tech companies are trying to figure out ways to crack down on the problem, but no real fix has been made yet. Let’s hope the volume goes down soon.

You can read the full report here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cale is a Brooklyn-based reporter. He writes about many things. More


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