2.5 Billion Robocalls A Month, The Highest Level In Americans

Americans receive tens of millions of unsolicited automated calls and texts each day, often intended to dupe them into forking over personal information or money.  That’s the thrust of a new report by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a consumer advocacy organization, which found that scam and telemarketing calls and texts have proliferated across the country, despite safeguards intended to prevent them. (Of the 9,242 phone companies that filed with the FCC as of Sept. 28, 2025, less than half have fully installed robocall-fighting software.)

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Nationwide, Americans received an average of 2.56 billion robocalls a month from January to September. That’s up from 2.14 billion a month in 2024, and the highest level in six years, according to PIRG’s analysis of data from YouMail, one of the largest robocall-blocking companies. Meanwhile, the volume of automated texts received by Americans has skyrocketed since 2021, when a government crackdown on robocalls led more telemarketers and scammers to shift to texts. Data from PIRG shows that the annual volume of robotexts received in 2024 was roughly 19 billion, nearly triple the approximately 7 billion robotexts received in 2021. The predatory messages are a daily nuisance for many. About one-third of Americans say they get at least one scam phone call a day, while one-fifth say they receive one scam text every day, according to the Pew Research Center.

Roboscams come in many forms, as detailed in PIRG’s report. Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at PIRG, said they usually stem from crime rings or dedicated scam operations whose mission is to extract personal information or get some kind of financial information or actual payment from victims.  “The calls and texts are low cost and high reward,” she said in an email. “As long as some percentage keep working, the scammers will keep trying.” Examples of some common scams include: During tax season, bad actors pose as IRS officials or tax preparation companies. Many scammers impersonate banks and credit card companies to steal account information. Another common trap are calls and texts that incite fear about unpaid loan balances or offer dubious debt relief opportunities.

Source: CBS News