The number of robocalls in the US jumped in 2018.
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If you got a call from a number you didn’t recognize last year (odds are, you got a few of those) it was likely part of the 26.3 billion robocalls made in the US in 2018, according to a report from Hiya.
That breaks down to an average of 10 monthly calls per person.
Hiya, a caller ID service, published a report Tuesday called Robocall Radar, and found that robocalls rose 46 percent from 2017 to 2018.
That rise is despite efforts from the Federal Communication Commission and carriers to curb the calls. In November, the FCC made plans to create a database that businesses could use to verify that the numbers they’ve been given to call, haven’t actually been reassigned to new people. Also in November, T-Mobile said it had blocked one billion scam calls in the previous 18 months. Verizon also said in January that it would I’ve all customers spam-blocking tools for free.
“Unsolicited robocalls are the #1 source of consumer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. This incessant problem is only getting worse due to a lucrative profit motive for scammers,” the report says.
Hiya also identified cities that get targeted the most. Dallas, Texas came in at no. 1, followed by Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston– all Texas cities as well.
Hiya did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to why Texas is so popular for robocallers.
Updated, 8:12 a.m.: Adds additional context.