Even though consumers are still inundated by them, a new report from RoboKiller found a decline in robocalls.
Americans received an estimated 5.74 billion spam phone calls in July 2021—a 3% decrease from June, according to the report. However, spam text volume increased to 7.1 billion spam texts for July, a 5% increase from June.
The decrease in spam phone calls was attributed largely to the FCC’s new STIR/SHAKEN anti-caller ID spoofing framework. The regulation required most large voice providers to have the technology installed by the end of June.
However, Robokiller advised that the anti-spamming effort would be even stronger if:
- Voice providers and phone carriers provided more visibility into how they are utilizing the technology to make caller verification decisions. The additional data would aid supporting players in aligning their STIR/SHAKEN integration with large networks for a more unified approach.
- Adaptation of the STIR/SHAKEN technology by foreign service providers, who will be required to adopt robocall mitigation plans by Sept. 28 if they process calls to U.S. cellphones.
RoboKiller expects the July trends to continue this month and throughout the rest of the year, with the percentage of spam calls that are spoofed dropping from approximately 35% in July to 30% by December 2021.
However, spam text volume is likely to continue to increase as spammers look for ways around the STIR/SHAKEN technology. The Robokiller report about the decline in robocalls also found that:
- Scammers tried to take advantage of the wildfires on the West Coast by making scam insurance robocalls, which increased 25% in July.
- States with the highest number of spam calls (in order): Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and New York
- Most common types of spam calls (in order): Vehicle warranty, health insurance and other insurance
- Most spam-texted states (in order): Texas, New York, California, Florida and Ohio
to whom do you reported spam call?