5% Decrease in Total Spam Calls for May Reflect Slowdown in 2021 Spam Call Growth

Rhea-AI Summary

RoboKiller's latest report reveals a 5% decrease in total spam calls in May 2021, totaling approximately 5.3 billion calls, contrasting with a 20% average monthly growth earlier this year. In contrast, spam text messages increased by 7%, reaching 7.1 billion. The increase in spam texts indicates a shift to new scam methods. Despite fewer overall spam calls, the FCC reported $165 million in losses to fraud during Q1 2021, suggesting that financial losses remain alarming. Travel scams are surging as vaccination rates rise, posing further threats.

Positive

• RoboKiller's spam call blocking technology is estimated to have prevented approximately $140 million in losses to phone scams.
• RoboKiller is recognized as a leader in spam call blocking, with over 12 million downloads.

Negative

• Spam call volume is expected to increase later in the year following a temporary reduction due to international COVID-19 restrictions.
• Despite a decrease in total spam calls, spam text messages have risen, indicating a potential shift in scamming tactics.

NEW YORK, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RoboKiller, the app that eliminates 99% of spam calls and  text messages, reveals Americans received an estimated 5.3 billion spam calls in May 2021 - a 5% decrease from April. May totals reflect a significant trend reversal compared with the 20% average monthly growth seen in late 2020 and the start of this year.

Despite macro forces driving another month of lower total spam calls, spam text volume increased by 7% in May up to 7.1 billion. The return of month-over-month spam text increases while spam calls decline indicate scammers are pivoting to new methods of stealing from American consumers over the phone. With 2021 spam text trends holding as RoboKiller anticipated, Americans are on track to receive more than 80 billion total spam text messages in 2021.

International COVID-19 Resurgences and FCC STIR/SHAKEN June Deadline Impacting Phone Scam Operations Worldwide
Monthly spam call decreases in May were likely driven by a temporary reduction in international robocall traffic as many countries, including India, reinstated quarantine orders following COVID-19 resurgences. Based on trends observed in mid-2020, this will likely give way to a significant spike in spam calls later this year when scammers come back online and attempt to make up lost ground. On the other hand, the FCC's upcoming STIR/SHAKEN anti-spoofing deadline later this month is expected to have some impact on robocall volume as more phone providers roll out their solutions to illegal robocall traffic on their networks. However, RoboKiller expects spam call volume will remain elevated beyond the deadline and increase over the remainder of the year.

Fewer Phone Scams Are Still Yielding Damaging Financial Losses
According to the FCC, Americans reported $165 million in financial losses to phone call and text fraud from January to March 2021, with median losses of approximately $1,000 per reported scam. Based on these trends, Americans are on track to lose more than $650 million to phone scams in 2021.   

As RoboKiller observed in 2020, spam call and text volume doesn't always correlate with phone scam-related financial losses. Scammers often tailor their phone scams in times of uncertainty , which in turn makes their phone scams more believable. This leads more people to fall victim to phone scams and yields a higher financial return for phone scammers. 

Travel Scams Emerge as a Major Threat In Coming Months
As vaccination rates in the United States increase and the travel industry returns to pre-COVID levels, RoboKiller observed a rapid increase in travel and vacation robocall and text scams. Since January 2021, travel phone scams have increased by more than 10% as scammers try to take advantage of eager travelers hoping to take a much-needed vacation.  Year to date, there have been 1.9 billion travel phone scams, often disguised as legitimate travel brands such as booking websites, hotel chains, cruise lines, or airlines, offering free accommodations in exchange for personal and financial information.

MAY 2021 KEY PHONE SCAM TRENDS

Top Five Most Spam-Called States:

State	Total Estimated Spam Calls	Estimated Spam Calls Per Person
Texas	662,077,898	28
California	522,208,426	16
Florida	371,335,613	21
New York	236,081,831	14
Ohio	224,126,314	23

Top Phone Scams Nationwide:

Robocall Scam Category	Estimated Spam Calls	% of Total Robocalls
Vehicle Warranty	973,024,572	18.2%
Health Insurance	569,876,099	10.6%
Student Loans	447,644,913	8.4%
Travel Scams	297,536,440	5.6%

*All audio examples are phone scams blocked and audio fingerprinted by RoboKiller

Top Five Most Spam-Texted States:

State	Total Estimated Spam Text Messages	Estimated Spam Texts Per Person
Texas	862,395,894,	36
New York	789,200,670	48
California	675,313,072	20
Florida	368,550,226	20
Ohio	364,475,693	37

Top Text Scams Nationwide:

Spam Text Category	Estimated Spam Texts	% of Total Spam Texts
Amazon, UPS, & Other Delivery Scams	1,577,455,312	22%
Apple & Smart Device Sweepstakes	168,170,463	2.5%
DMV + Vehicle Scams	126,400,435	2%

Tips On How To Stop Phone Scams:

• Don't answer phone calls from unknown phone numbers, especially those that call or text at odd hours.
• Never provide personal, banking, or sensitive information over the phone to any caller.
• Don't follow any prompts like "Press 1" or click any links.
• Download a spam call and text blocker like RoboKiller to equip your phone with the latest phone-scam-fighting technology. Apps like RoboKiller use global databases of millions of known scams to prevent scammers from reaching you in the first place.

Any brand interested in protecting themselves against scams perpetrated under their name can contact our enterprise services team for more information.

RoboKiller's Data Insights
These national robocall and spam text insights are provided by RoboKiller, the only app that helps eliminate 99% of spam calls in the United States. RoboKiller's Robocall Insights is powered by its global database of millions of known phone scams and audio fingerprints. This data is estimated by monitoring observed robocall and spam text trends for Americans who have trusted RoboKiller to stop their spam calls and has been featured by major media publications since its release in 2018. 

For a comprehensive analysis of robocall trends in specific cities, states, and area codes, details on particular phone scams, or any other related custom inquiries, please contact RoboKiller's robocall insights team here or at pr@robokiller.com.

With more than 12 million downloads to date, RoboKiller has been named a leader in technical and mobile achievement by the Webby Awards, Media Excellence, Best in Biz, and more. RoboKiller was also named the most effective solution to robocalls by the FTC as the winner of the most recent Robocalls: Humanity Strikes Back competition. RoboKiller is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play. To learn more about RoboKiller, visit www.robokiller.com. 

About RoboKiller:
RoboKiller is the leading independent spam call blocker in the United States. RoboKiller's predictive spam call blocking technology uses A.I. and machine-learning to intercept an incoming spam call in less than 0.01 second. RoboKiller then deploys its army of spam-call-fighting Answer Bots to waste scammers' time and resources, preventing them from placing thousands of spam calls each minute. Since its launch in 2017, RoboKiller has helped more than 10 million Americans prevent approximately $140M losses to phone scams and live their lives spam-call-free™. RoboKiller, a Teltech brand, is a division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).

Media Contacts: 
Zapwater Communications
Teltech@zapwater.com

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SOURCE RoboKiller

FAQ

What was the total number of spam calls in May 2021 reported by RoboKiller?

RoboKiller reported a total of approximately 5.3 billion spam calls in May 2021.

How much did spam text messages increase in May 2021?

Spam text messages increased by 7% in May 2021, reaching approximately 7.1 billion.

What financial losses were reported due to phone scams in early 2021?

The FCC reported $165 million in financial losses to phone call and text fraud from January to March 2021.

What impact did COVID-19 have on spam call volumes?

Spam call volumes decreased due to international COVID-19 restrictions but are expected to rise again later this year.

What type of scams have increased as vaccination rates rise?

Travel scams have increased by more than 10% since January 2021 as scammers target eager travelers.