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NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the holidays in full swing and the omicron variant spreading rapidly, conditions were ripe for a decrease in spam calls. That's exactly what happened according to RoboKiller, the app that eliminates 99% of spam calls and text messages: spam calls declined 11% in December. While Americans received fewer spam calls than they did in November 2021, spam calls as a whole remain elevated from 2020. RoboKiller identified an 8% increase in spam calls compared to last December's 5.8 billion.
Historically, phone spam is less common in December, as scammers take time off for the holidays. Plus, renewed concerns over COVID-19 likely exacerbated the dip (RoboKiller observed a sharp decrease in spam calls in the initial months of the pandemic).
Spoofed Spam Calls Declined (Again) It seems STIR/SHAKEN may slowly but surely be gaining momentum, as spoofed spam calls decreased slightly by 1.66% in December. This marks the second consecutive month-over-month drop.
December 2021 Key Phone Spam Trends As RoboKiller predicted in its Mid-Year Report, car warranty calls were the most common scam in 2021. It's remained in the top spot since January 2021, and the number of calls increased 45% from November to December.
Top Spam Calls Nationwide:
Robocall Category | Estimated Spam Calls | % of Total Robocalls | Robocall Examples |
Vehicle Warranty | 1,168,885,551 | 18.60% | |
Religious | 212,410,385 | 3.38% |
*All audio examples are phone scams blocked and audio fingerprinted by RoboKiller
Top Spam Texts Nationwide:
Spam Text Category | Estimated Spam Texts | % of Total Spam Texts |
Delivery (Amazon, UPS, USPS, etc.) | 2,006,661,949 | 22.54% |
Political | 1,273,592,224 | 14.31% |
COVID-19 | 438,341,702 | 4.92% |
Delivery-related spam text messages increased by 28% from November, as shoppers made holiday purchases. Scammers predict people's purchasing habits and seek to capitalize on them. With more people shopping from home, it's no surprise this scam category skyrocketed in December.
View RoboKiller's latest blog post for tips to stay safe from text scams.
Coming Soon: 2021 Year In Review Be on the lookout for RoboKiller's end-of-year phone spam and political messaging reports. Click here and here to read our mid-year reports.
About RoboKillerWith more than 12 million downloads and $400 million in losses prevented, RoboKiller is the leading independent spam call and text blocker. RoboKiller has been named a leader in technical and mobile achievement 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.
For custom data inquiries, contact RoboKiller's insights team here or at pr@robokiller.com. For information about RoboKiller's enterprise spam blocking solutions, visit enterprise.robokiller.com.
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).
Contact: Haley Robles, Haley@zapwater.com
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SOURCE RoboKiller
