RoboKiller Releases 2021 Phone Scam Report
On February 14, 2022, RoboKiller, a leading spam call and text blocker under IAC, released its 2021 Phone Scam Insights report. The findings reveal a dramatic increase in spam communications, with Americans receiving 87.8 billion spam texts (up 58%) and 72.2 billion spam calls (up 32%) over the year. Notably, consumers lost about $40 billion to phone scams, while RoboKiller's services helped prevent $100 million in losses. Vehicle warranty scams emerged as the most prevalent robocall category. The report highlights a trend towards increased spam texts, driven by scammers adapting to consumer behaviors.
- RoboKiller prevented an estimated $100 million in losses for users.
- The app has over 12 million downloads, indicating significant user trust and engagement.
- Recognition as a leading solution for blocking spam calls, named by the FTC.
- Americans lost approximately $40 billion to phone scams in 2021.
- Spam text messages now vastly outnumber spam calls, indicating a worsening trend for consumers.
NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RoboKiller, the app that eliminates
Spam text messages were the big story in 2021, as they surpassed spam calls by more than 15 billion. This marked the second consecutive year scammers relied on texts more than calls to reach consumers. RoboKiller believes this is a concerted effort by scammers to address declining call answer rates (
According to RoboKiller, the vast majority of phone scams go unreported to the FTC. In 2021, RoboKiller estimates Americans lost
To view the full report, follow the link below:
RoboKiller 2021 Phone Scam Insights
Call & Text Scams: Key Findings & Takeaways
- Scam text messages outpaced scam calls (87.8 billion vs. 72.2 billion) for the second year in a row. The disparity, however, was narrower in 2020 (55.4 billion vs. 54.6 billion).
- In 2021, Americans received 12 billion vehicle warranty scams. This is the largest robocall on record since RoboKiller began tracking scam calls in 2017. It is statistically possible that every American received at least one vehicle warranty scam call in 2021.
- Delivery-related scam text messages were especially prominent in 2021, making up
26% of all scam texts. Scammers like to predict people's purchasing habits. As a result, messages containing links to track packages or adjust delivery preferences flooded American phones. - The FCC's STIR/SHAKEN mandate has yet to make a dent in spoofed call rates since its June 30, 2021 implementation deadline. In fact, calls originating from spoofed caller IDs remained in the vicinity of
40% nearly every month in 2021.
2021 KEY PHONE SCAM TRENDS
Top Five Most Spam Texted States
State | Total Estimated Spam Texts |
Texas | 10,095,771,312 |
California | 9,093,288,416 |
New York | 7,866,422,408 |
Florida | 4,711,701,088 |
Ohio | 4,004,379,666 |
Top Five Most Spam Called States
State | Total Estimated Spam Calls |
Texas | 8,895,603,622 |
California | 7,113,989,672 |
Florida | 4,873,590,078 |
Ohio | 3,142,198,567 |
Georgia | 2,973,724,407 |
Scammers frequently targeted densely populated states like Texas, California, Florida, and Ohio with phone spam in 2021. On a per capita basis, however, states with smaller populations were also notable targets. West Virginia and Arkansas led the way in spam texts and spam calls per person, respectively.
Top Five Text Scams, 2021
Category | Estimated Spam Texts |
Delivery | 23,076,811,343 |
COVID-19 | 5,696,455,112 |
Bank | 3,071,087,772 |
Apple + Hardware Sweepstakes | 2,601,735,612 |
Healthcare | 1,060,272,839 |
Top Five Robocall Scams, 2021
Category | Estimated Spam Texts |
Vehicle Warranty | 12,995,413,910 |
Health Insurance | 3,106,185,648 |
Religious | 3,041,172,460 |
Social Security | 2,961,711,897 |
Student Loans | 2,802,790,771 |
With nearly
To view the full report, follow the link below:
RoboKiller 2021 Phone Scam Insights
How To Stop Phone Scams
At RoboKiller, our mission is to create a world without spam. In addition to downloading the RoboKiller app, follow these tips to protect yourself against phone scams. Additionally, if your brand is interested in protecting against scams perpetrated under its name, contact our enterprise service team.
About RoboKiller
With more than 12 million downloads and
RoboKiller's robocall and spam text insights are powered by a global database of millions of phone scams and audio fingerprints. RoboKiller's proprietary data insights have been featured by The New York Times, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, and many others.
For custom data inquiries, contact RoboKiller's insights team here or at pr@robokiller.com.
RoboKiller is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. To learn more, visit www.robokiller.com.
RoboKiller, a Teltech brand, is a division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).
Contact: Haley Robles, Haley@zapwater.com
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SOURCE RoboKiller
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