Spam Calls Flood San Leandro, CA in 2021

SAN LEANDRO, CA — While the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated its ability to shutter schools, close down businesses and overwhelm hospitals, one thing it hasn’t stopped is the growing number of robocalls received by people in California.

In the first six months of 2021, approximately 40.1 billion spam calls were made to U.S. households, according to a new midyear report from mobile app RoboKiller. By year’s end, that number is expected to grow by more than 30 billion calls.

Spam texts are also on the rise, the report notes. In the first half of the year, scammers sent 47.5 billion spam texts, a number that’s projected to reach 86 billion by year’s end.

In the report, Robokiller identifies robotexts as the “newest spam threat to Americans.” In August 2020, total spam texts surpassed the number of robocalls placed in the United States. It’s remained that way since the release of those numbers.

In the report, RoboKiller identified the 10 most-targeted states during the first half of 2021. California is among them, coming in at No. 2.

Projecting those numbers through the rest of the year, California residents can expect to receive 7,383,823,722 robocalls and 9,273,824,805 spam texts.

The calls aren't cheap.

U.S. households lost approximately $325 million to scam calls and $45.5 million to scam texts during the first half of the year. Those numbers are only expected to climb. By year’s end, total financial losses are expected to nearly double.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted phone scam operations
worldwide in 2020, scammers were eager to get back to the phones as soon as possible — and the numbers prove it,” the report authors wrote.

These 10 states are projected to receive the most robocalls in 2021, according to RoboKiller’s report:

1. Texas: 9 billion robocalls
2. California: 7.4 billion robocalls
3. Florida: 5.2 billion robocalls
4. Ohio: 3.3 billion robocalls
5. New York: 3.2 billion robocalls
6. Georgia: 3 billion robocalls
7. Pennsylvania: 2.9 billion robocalls
8. North Carolina: 2.7 billion robocalls
9. Illinois: 2.6 billion robocalls
10. Michigan: 2 billion robocalls

The increase in robocalls and texts in 2021 follows a historical low reached during the early days of the pandemic.

In April 2020, the United States recorded only 2 billion monthly robocalls, according to the report. A few months later, call volume rebounded. By October 2020, the number of monthly spam calls soared to 6.1 billion, a 200 percent increase in just six months.

The efforts made by spammers to take advantage of U.S. households continued into early 2021. From January to March, total monthly robocalls remained near 5 billion per month — about 27 percent higher than the same time period in 2020.

The influx of cash sent to Americans in 2020 through COVID-19 relief checks created what some officials called an ideal situation for scammers, likely leading to the spike in calls. Some preyed on older Americans, peddling everything from miracle virus cures to medical supplies to fake charities.

• RELATED: Coronavirus Stimulus Ripoffs And Other Scams: How To Spot Them

Calls didn’t slow until April and May, likely driven by the Federal Communication Commission’s looming June 30 deadline that would require phone companies to implement a new caller ID authentication technology called STIR/SHAKEN. The technology is designed to limit someone’s ability to illegally spoof a caller ID, which scammers use to trick people into answering their phones when they shouldn't.

The STIR/SHAKEN implementation follows January 2020 legislation intended to crack down on annoying and illegal robocalls. The bipartisan legislation expanded the power of the FCC to deter spam calls, and it reinforced the responsibility of individual phone companies to protect their own consumers.

Still receiving spam calls? You can also take matters into your own hands. If you’d prefer to not receive robocalls at all, several apps exist to block the calls on your mobile phones. These apps include:

• Nomorobo
• Hiya
• RoboKiller
• Truecaller
• Trapcall
• Sentry 3.1
• CPR Call Blocker
• Digitone Pro Series Call Blocker

Here are some strategies to keep in mind if you receive a robocall:

• Be leery about anyone calling on the phone about any emergency. Get a phone number to call back, and verify the whereabouts and safety of the person the call is about.

• Never give out Social Security, Medicare or financial account information over the phone.

• In general, avoid answering calls from numbers you don't recognize.

• Don't confirm any personal information. Avoid saying "yes" to any question, as calls may be recorded and the answer can be used as consent for a purchase you didn't request.

• Don't press any numbers to stop calls. That will likely increase the number of robocalls you get, having signaled to the scammers they've reached an active number.

• Change your voicemail message so it doesn't reveal your name or other personal information. If you want a legitimate caller to know they've reached you, go ahead and put your phone number on the message.

• Don't return calls that claim to be from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, your bank or a local police or sheriff's department. If you think the message is legitimate, don't return the number left on a voicemail. Instead, look up the legitimate phone number.

• Register both your landline and your cell phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.

• Report robocalls and other unwanted calls with the FTC, by phone at 888-382-1222 or 877-382-4357, or online.