NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RoboKiller, the app
that eliminates 99% of spam calls and text messages, reveals
Americans received an estimated 5.74 billion spam calls in July
2021—a 3% decrease from June. Spam text volume also
increased to 7.1 billion spam texts for July, a 5%
increase from June.
New Anti-Spoofing Technology is Helping Fight Against Spam
Calls
As previously predicted by RoboKiller, July's 3% decrease in
total robocalls reflects a successful first month of the FCC's new
anti-caller ID spoofing framework, STIR/SHAKEN, with
RoboKiller also observing a 5% decrease in the number of spam
calls that use caller ID spoofing from June to July 2021. This means that, on a national level,
there were 145 million fewer spoofed spam calls in July than
in previous months of 2021.
Decreases in spoofed spam calls in July inform our positive
outlook on the future of STIR/SHAKEN technology. However, there is
still a lot of work to be done beyond the recent June 30th deadline in order for STIR/SHAKEN to
find its legs. This includes:
- Voice providers and phone carriers should provide more
visibility into how they are utilizing STIR/SHAKEN data to inform
decisions about verifying caller IDs and allowing phone calls. This
data can help supporting players align their STIR/SHAKEN
integration with large networks for a more unified approach.
- Forgein service providers who process international calls to
United States smartphones must
begin to lean in and adopt the STIR/SHAKEN technology for it to be
effective. International service providers must establish robocall
mitigation plans by September 28,
2021. This will help paint a fuller picture of how effective
robocall mitigation efforts are, both here and abroad.
RoboKiller expects spoofed spam calls to continue to decrease as
a percentage of total spam calls through year's end, from
approximately 35% of estimated total monthly spam calls in July to
30% by December 2021. This decrease
will likely be driven by continued improvements to, and adoption
of, the STIR/SHAKEN framework as it ramps up its impact in the war
against robocalls.
For businesses still looking to comply with or enhance their
STIR/SHAKEN solutions, RoboKiller Enterprise offers a flexible
robocall mitigation program that's effective and hassle-free. To
learn more, visit https://enterprise.robokiller.com.
Spam Text Trends Indicate Scammers Are Still Focused on
Robocalls, But Not For Long
Moderate increases in spam text volume from June to July 2021 likely indicates that scammers are more
focused on establishing technological workarounds to the
STIR/SHAKEN framework rather than completely pivoting to spam texts
in the technology's first month of release. However, Americans
shouldn't count spam texts out.
RoboKiller predicts a 3-5% increase in spam texts for the month
of August, as more scammers look to offset losses on robocalls and
attempt new approaches to steal from Americans over the phone.
Americans are on track to receive more than 86 billion spam texts
in 2021, a 55% increase from 2020.
Scammers Target West Coast With Insurance Robocall Scams in
Response to Natural Disaster
As the landscape becomes more complicated for robocallers to
place thousands of illegal calls per day, many scammers are
adjusting their approach to focus on quality over quantity.
Scammers do this by tailoring their scams to relevant societal
events in the United States, as
they are more believable to the target.
In July 2021, RoboKiller observed
a 25% increase in home and mortgage insurance offer phone scams,
likely driven by natural disasters on the West Coast. Scammers
often target regional area codes known to be impacted by disasters
such as wildfires in an attempt to steal from the most vulnerable.
Those impacted by the wildfires can get 30 days of free phone
scam protection with RoboKiller by using promo code
RELIEF2021.
LISTEN TO AN INSURANCE ROBOCALL SCAM BLOCKED BY
ROBOKILLER
JULY 2021 KEY PHONE SCAM
TRENDS
Top Five Most Spam-Called States:
State
|
Total Estimated
Spam Calls
|
Estimated Spam
Calls Per Person
|
Texas
|
694,868,695
|
29
|
California
|
575,082,277
|
17
|
Florida
|
372,302,984
|
21
|
Ohio
|
247,038,132
|
25
|
New
York
|
240,930,116
|
15
|
Top Phone Scams Nationwide:
Robocall Scam
Category
|
Estimated Spam
Calls
|
% of Total
Robocalls
|
Robocall
Examples
|
Vehicle
Warranty
|
941,370,820
|
16.39%
|
Listen to Scam
Recording
|
Health
Insurance
|
237,209,365
|
4.13%
|
Listen to Scam
Recording
|
Insurance
Scams
|
261,332,351
|
4.55%
|
Listen to Scam
Recording
|
*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
|
735,448,234
|
31
|
New
York
|
569,345,937
|
35
|
California
|
592,558,568
|
18
|
Florida
|
323,336,603
|
18
|
Ohio
|
316,289,396
|
33
|
Top Text Scams Nationwide:
Spam Text
Category
|
Estimated Spam
Texts
|
% of Total Spam
Texts
|
Amazon, UPS, &
Other Delivery Scams
|
1,511,743,773
|
21.8%
|
COVID-19
|
287,671,219
|
4.15%
|
Bank Scams
|
200,188,679
|
2.89%
|
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.
RoboKiller's Data Insights
RoboKiller's robocall and spam text insights are powered
by a global database of millions of known phone scams and audio
fingerprints. Data are estimated by monitoring observed robocall
and spam text trends for Americans who have trusted RoboKiller to
stop their spam calls. RoboKiller's proprietary data insights have
been featured nationally by more than 300 media outlets, including
the New York Times, ABC World News, NBC
Nightly News, and many more.
For a comprehensive analysis of robocall trends in specific
locations, details about particular phone scams, or any other
related custom inquiries, please contact RoboKiller's robocall
insights team here or at pr@robokiller.com.
About RoboKiller
With more than 12 million downloads and $300
million in losses prevented, RoboKiller is the leading
independent spam call and text blocker in the United States. 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. 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).
Media Contacts
Zapwater Communications
Teltech@zapwater.com
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SOURCE RoboKiller