NEW
YORK, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans
received 14.2 billion robotexts and 4.6 billion robocalls in May, a
9% increase and 10% decrease, respectively, according to Robokiller
Insights. The two categories continue to follow diverging paths —
this marks the third consecutive month-over-month increase in SMS
spam and the second consecutive month-over-month decrease in
unwanted calls.
Government anti-robocall efforts continue to pay
dividends
The decrease in robocalls can be attributed
largely to the government's successful efforts to crack down on
specific high-volume robocalls. Yet, although the quantity of
robocalls is dropping, the damage they cause is escalating.
Americans have lost $29 billion to
robocalls already in 2023, outpacing 2022's record losses. Scammers
are getting better results despite fewer calls, signifying they
continue to refine their tactics and double down on scams that
work. According to the FTC, the median amount lost to phone scams
so far in 2023 is $1,286, more than
the $1,000 from late 2022.
"As the FCC continues to successfully crack down on robocalls,
Robokiller has confirmed yet another monthly decrease in spam call
volume. That doesn't mean we're out of the woods, however, as
scammers are becoming more clever with the tactics they are using
to scam Americans, " said Patrick
Falzon, General Manager at Teltech, creators of Robokiller.
"Robocalls may be decreasing in volume, but they're costly. And,
although Americans may enjoy a little reprieve from the volume of
robocalls, the larger increase in robotexts means they are actually
getting more phone spam overall. We suggest Americans have a
robocall and robotext blocker on their phone like Robokiller to
protect themselves from emerging scams."
Surging robotexts are leading to greater fraud
losses
Robotexts increased 9% month-over-month, and
Robokiller predicts this trend will continue for the remainder of
the year, with losses already reaching $12
billion in 2023 (up 58% from 2022). Robokiller warns
Americans to be cautious when receiving text messages from unknown
numbers or those claiming to be well-known businesses, especially
if you're not expecting that particular company to contact you.
May 2023 key
trends
Top robotexts nationwide:
Robotext
category
|
Estimated
robotexts
|
% of total
robotexts
|
Delivery (UPS, USPS,
Amazon,
etc.)
|
1,553,848,396
|
10.85 %
|
Political
|
1,478,418,955
|
10.34 %
|
Bank
|
444,324,005
|
3.11 %
|
Travel
|
249,228,536
|
1.74 %
|
In May, Americans were frequently targeted with delivery-related
messages that suggested they missed a delivery, needed to update
their delivery preferences, or that a package was pending. Those
messages often contained links that, once clicked, could ask them
to provide personal information or install malware on their phones.
However, not all robotexts were scams, as political messages are
making their way to phones just ahead of next year's presidential
election and are anticipated to increase as election day draws
near.
Top robocalls nationwide:
Robocall
category
|
Estimated
robocalls
|
% of Total
Robocalls
|
Telemarketing
|
3,732,553,698
|
80 %
|
Scam
|
173,348,452
|
3.74 %
|
Medical
|
67,207,288
|
1.45 %
|
Debt
Collector
|
44,032,361
|
0.95 %
|
Even though robocalls may be on the decline, Americans need to
be aware of more targeted robocall scams like the recent AI scams
that impersonate a loved one in order to steal money or your
personal information. While this scam is relatively new, this is
another reason Americans should ignore calls from unknown numbers.
Scammers play on vulnerabilities, and these scams can often lead to
falling victim.
Tips on how to stop phone scams:
- Don't answer calls or texts from unknown numbers, especially
those who call or text at odd hours.
- Don't follow prompts like "Press 1" or click any links.
- Never provide personal information like banking details or
other sensitive information.
- Download a spam text and call blocker like Robokiller to equip
your phone with the latest technology to stop scams.
About Robokiller
With more than 12 million downloads
and $600 million in losses prevented,
Robokiller is the leading independent spam call and text blocker.
Robokiller has been named a technical and mobile achievement leader
by the Webby Awards, Media Excellence, Best in Biz, and more.
Robokiller was named the most effective solution to robocalls by
the FTC.
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.
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).
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SOURCE Robokiller