The Top 5 Cities for Robocalls — and How to Stop the Pesky Messages

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Do not call
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Have you noticed an uptick in the number of robocalls you’re receiving these days? You’re not alone.

In May, robocalls jumped nearly 5 percent, according to YouMail, a leading provider of cloud-based telecommunication services. The number of prerecorded-message phone calls Americans receive reached 2.6 billion last month.

As YouMail points out, that’s a lot of annoying messages:

The monthly U.S. calling total for May equals an estimated 84.6 million robocalls received each day during the month, or roughly 980 robocalls placed every second of the month.

Atlanta was the top city for robocalls — an unfortunate title it has claimed for 18 straight months. Residents of the city received an estimated 116.4 million robocalls in May. It was followed by Dallas (98.2 million), Chicago (96.3 million), New York (95.1 million) and Houston (93.3 million).

Earlier this year, CNN Tech correspondent Samuel Burke cited some of the main reasons Americans are being swamped by pesky robocalls.

  • Voice over Internet Protocol: Robocalls are made online today, instead of using traditional phone lines, making it easy for scammers to flood consumers’ phone lines. “VoIP is cheap, widely available and it allows these companies to call thousands of numbers simultaneously,” Burke says.
  • Spoofing calls: Robocallers are using area codes that match those on the receiving end. “Spoofing makes you more likely to pick up because you think it might be somebody you know,” says Burke.
  • Robocallers aren’t playing by the rules: Scammers don’t care about the national Do Not Call Registry, which is designed to reduce annoying robocalls. “While the Do Not Call Registry will stop legitimate companies from calling you, those who use robocalls to scam you will completely ignore it,” explains Burke.

Tips to reduce the number of robocalls

So what can you do to reduce the number of robocalls swamping your phone? Check out “8 Tips to Stop Annoying Robocalls” for helpful advice, including:

  • Get on the Do Not Call Registry: Although it won’t stop the calls from scammers, it could reduce the number of robocalls you may receive from law-abiding solicitors.
  • Hang up: Simply hang up the phone if you think you’ve received a robocall. As the Better Business Bureau advises: “There is nothing to gain from attempting to reason with the people behind the calls.”
  • Get help: Burke says AT&T and T-Mobile offer free services to reduce robocallers. He also recommends the app Nomorobo, a free tool that’s designed to thwart those maddening calls. Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson also cites the tool in “Ask Stacy: How Can I Stop Robocalls, Junk Mail and Spam?

Have you noticed an increase in the number of unwanted solicitation phone calls you’re receiving? Sound off below or on Facebook.

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