U.S. consumers received just over 4.1 billion robocalls in June, which represents a 7.9% decrease from May and a 15.3% decrease over June 2023. In addition, for the first half of the year, there were 25.5 billion robocalls, down almost 10% from the 28.3 billion robocalls received in the first half of 2023.

June averaged 137.5 million robocalls/day and 1,592 robocalls/second, down 4.5% from May's average of 144.5 million robocalls/day and 1,673 robocalls/second. 

"It's great news that we're seeing the robocall volume down nearly 10% so far in 2024 versus the first half of 2023," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "Everyone's efforts – from carriers to regulators to enforcement to consumers who are better protecting themselves – all of that work is clearly making a difference."

These latest figures are provided by YouMail, a totally free robocall blocking app and call protection service for mobile phones. The figures are determined by extrapolating from the robocall traffic attempting to get through to YouMail's millions of active users.

Scam Calls Had a Large Increase in June

June saw a significant 7.8% increase in Telemarketing calls and a nearly 11% decline in Notification calls, while Scam calls and Payment Reminders remained almost unchanged.  

Scam calls and telemarketing calls combined dropped to 2.1 billion calls/month, but continued to make up slightly more than half of all robocalls. Scam calls appear to be running at levels slightly lower than a year ago, and substantially lower than previous years.

June 2024's Most Dangerous Robocalling Campaigns

The most problematic robocall campaigns in June were related to consumer debt. The first robocall campaign leaves a pre-recorded message that claims that you have back taxes due and there's a way to make them magically go away, like calls from this number:

Hey, it's Kate Campos. I'm calling from Activate Center. My phone number is 562-586-9323. And our file shows that you've got some back taxes still due. I wanted to let you know that you can enroll to have them eliminated with the new zero tax program. So any small or large amounts are now non-collectible through this program, but you have to enroll. So give me a call back and we can get you all set up. It's not gonna take too long. It's really a one and done setup. So I'll keep the account open through the end of the week. So again, my number is 562-586-9323 Thanks.

This call is most likely a scam based on its behavior and the content of the message it leaves. The overall volume for this call is large, in the tens of millions of calls each month from tens of thousands of different numbers. Based on numerous spam reports from consumers, they appear to be calling people who never contacted the company or asked to be called. Further, the voice is made to sound like it's not a pre-recorded call but leaving a personal voicemail. Finally, the IRS writes letters to people who owe back taxes and does not have a "zero tax" program.

This second robocall campaign leaves a pre-recorded message that claims you are pre-approved for a significant personal loan, as in calls from this number:

Hello, please listen to this important message. This is a message from the National Hardship Loan Center. This is a final attempt to reach you regarding a $36,000 financial hardship loan that can be funded today. This loan can be used for any purpose, including paying off unexpected bills or personal use. Please call our national office today at 844-751-3966. Again, that number is 844-751-3966. Thank you and have a great day.

The overall volume for this robocall call is also in the tens of millions of calls per month, calling from tens of thousands of different numbers. This is violating the telemarketing sales rules by not clearly supporting a mechanism for opting out. Based on numerous spam reports, it is also calling people who never consented to the call, and is asking for significant personal information. This campaign is most likely a scam and is preying on people people who potentially have debts and are looking for any sort of solution to their problem.

The Source of This Data

These data points are provided by YouMail, a free call protection app for mobile phones. YouMail 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].