Robocalls: 2019 Year in Review

Yes, we're still being bombarded by billions of robocalls each and every day. But 2019 marked the year when things started to get better.

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First, the bad news...

36.4% of all calls were bad robocalls

In 2019, more than one-in-three calls were unwanted robocalls.

1,452,374,918

Calls Analyzed

1,226,646

Phone Numbers Used by Robocallers

1.15/day

Avg Robocalls Received Per Line

But the good news is...

That's down 4.8% from 2018

In 2018, 41.2% of all calls were bad robocalls. Why did they go down?

FTC Enforcement Actions

In March, the FTC shutdown 4 large robocallers. In June, they took down almost 100 more. In December, they shutdown Globex, a phone carrier that helped illegal robocallers make billions of robocalls.

Retailers Are Joining the Fight

Retailers are helping prevent victims of robocall scams from buying gift cards. The tougher it is for the fraudsters to get paid, the less robocalls they'll make.

Robocall Blocking Tools Are Working

Most of the major carriers are using robocall blocking tools in their networks and more and more people are protecting themselves from robocalls by using robocall blocking apps.

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You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

Nomorobo stopped 16.2 robocalls every second in 2019

And at peak times, Nomorobo prevented over 60 robocalls per second from annoying and scamming people.

So, while we're very happy with the downward trend, we still have a ton of work to do in 2020.

In 2019, Nomorobo stopped...

512098798

Robocalls Stopped

Month-by-Month

Robocalls increase in the Fall (political season) while December's volume is usually lower. Even robocallers take some time off around the holidays.

The Dirty Dozen Most Frequent Robocallers

Here are the top robocallers for 2019. Notice that IRS imposters didn't even make it into the top robocalls this year. We'll take some of the credit for it.

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Medicare
27,631 unique phone #'s

Hi. This is Nancy, your patient advocate working closely with Medicare. This is an urgent message for all patients on Medicare. We have tried numerous times to contact you by mail and now by telephone regarding your eligibility for top of the line braces to alleviate your pain and increase mobility. This is your final notice. If you do not act soon, Medicare will label you unavailable for coverage. Press one now to speak with me or another pain specialist or press 9 to be put on the do not call list...

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Energy Scams
26,834 unique phone #'s

If you have a high electric bill the state has authorized us to offer you $2,000 cash to convert to cleaner energy. And you will get $200 cash just to meet with a clean energy consultant and find out how much you can save with clean energy. This is a limited program and we are the only company offering it. Press one now to find out if you qualify. Again press one now to claim your $2,000 cash....

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Fake Microsoft
3,542 different #'s

My name is Kathy Jackson. I am calling you from Microsoft refund department. Please do not hang up. You have paid for your computer technical support few months ago. We are calling to refund your money as the company has been ordered to close down. Please call us on our toll free number 855-969-0056. Repeating again 855-969-0056. Thank you....

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Credit
65,555 unique phone #'s

This is an important message regarding your current credit card account. We have made several attempts to reach you. This is your final courtesy call before we are unable to lower your credit card interest rate. Press one to speak to the Member Services Department or press 2 and your eligibility to lower your rate will expire....

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Fake Police Orgs
3,848 unique phone #'s

Hello. This is Eddie calling for the Police Officer Support Association. How are you today? The reason for the call - the association is providing donation return envelopes to all supporters. The drive supports legislators whose goals are to keep our community safer as well as support assistance to the families of first responders and police officers killed in the line of duty. So we're asking, when you receive your donation return envelope, can we count on your support for a small donation for the drive? That's great. Our top donation levels are $50, $35, and $25. Can the association count on your support for one of these? OK. Goodbye....

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Fake Google
62,267 unique phone #'s

This is an important message. Do not hang up the phone. Your Google business listing is at risk of displaying incorrectly. We've tried numerous times to contact you by telephone so we can check the status of your listing. This will only take a few minutes of your time. Press one so we can quickly check the status of your Google listing to ensure it's active. If your Google listing is suspended or deleted your business will not be shown causing customers to think you're no longer open for business. Press one now to check the status of your Google listing. If you're the business owner, press one now. Press two to be removed from this list....

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Vehicle Warranty
9,184 unique phone #'s

This is Angela from the warranty department. The reason I'm calling is to remind you that we sent you a final warranty notice in the mail letting you know that the warranty on your vehicle has expired and this is the final call for you to renew before we close the file. So, would you like to hear options about getting back under coverage? I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you clearly. Would you like to hear options about getting back under coverage? Would you like to hear your options about getting back under coverage? Thank you for your time and have a nice day....

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Health Insurance
17,974 unique phone #'s

This is 2020 health care insurers. Open enrollment is almost over and prices are about to rise. The cost of our policies have been reduced for this limited time so that you can get a great insurance plan that's within your budget. We offer policies from top tier providers that are best ranked in the country for health insurance such as Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. To hear more about the PPO policies we offer, please press 2 now to get a free consultation. 9 for a callback and to be placed on our do not call list permanently please call our toll free number 844-989-1702 and press one when prompted or press one now to be taken off this call list....

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Travel
12,909 unique phone #'s

My name is Sam from travel promotions and we would first like to thank you for being a loyal customer. And I would also like to congratulate you as you have been pre-selected to receive a vacation with our all inclusive promotion for 5 days and 4 nights. Also, as an added bonus, you'll receive a free 5 day, 4 night magical Orlando Getaway which includes your accommodations and Disney tickets to any Disney theme park. And that's just for taking advantage of one of our all inclusive exotic destination promotions. Now I just need to ask you a few questions just to see if you qualify. Is that OK? OK. Great. Well, so our records show that you are at least 28 years old and that you still have a current credit or debit card, correct? I'm so sorry about that. I was having trouble hearing you. Are you at least 28 years old and have a valid credit or debit....

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Fake Apple
815 unique phone #'s

This is Molly calling you from Apple support. This call is regarding security breach detected in your iCloud account. Before using any of your Apple device we strongly recommend you to talk to support advisor. If you wish to talk to a support advisor right now please press one. If you wish to hang up Press 2....

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Fake Social Sec.
13,233 unique phone #'s

This call is from Social Security Administration department. There is a case going under your social security number and your social security number will get suspended within the next 24 hours. Kindly call in 518-800-4007 now or press one now to speak to next available officer. Thank you....

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Chinese Targeted
Mostly Neighbor Spoofed

NPR's Marketplace: What I learned by chatting with Chinese robocallers

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