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Robocalls Rate Skyrockets In June, 78.3 Million Made To Arizonans

The Arizona spike in robocalls illustrates a larger trend in America over the past six months: spam calls are on the rise.

In November, the Federals Communications Commission passed regulations with the expressed purpose of counteracting robocalls; however, few things changed. In fact, things got worse. There were 2.9 billion spam calls made in January, but over 4.1 billion made five months later.

Arizona seems to be a hotspot for many of these spam calls. In the first six months of 2018 robocalls almost exceeded the total amount made in 2017, 431.5 million and 475.4 million, respectively. According to additional data, the most common spoofing area in the country is Phoenix.


These spam calls come from both debt collectors and oversea scammers. Though not illegal in most cases, the increasing prevalence has become a problem, experts said, for those who receive these calls. This uptick is the result of increasing technological advancements. What used to be a calling center in a warehouse has transformed into a singular person with a computer making robocalls in masses.

Spam protection company Hiya analyzed spam calls made in 2018 and found that robocalls are becoming both more sophisticated and more prevalent. According to company’s data, approximately 4.3 billion calls are made across the United States every month.

As for sophistication, 56.7 percent of spam calls are utilizing an approach known as a “neighbor scam” where they use spoofing software to replicate the first six digits of the person’s phone number. Users assume they know the person that’s calling and are more likely to answer the calls. This has been one of the more effective tactics utilized by spam callers.

The FCC, however, is fighting back on behalf of the American public. Back in May, a telemarketing operation was fined $120 million for robocalling scams including “neighbor scams.” This was the commission’s largest forfeiture in recent history.

Still, with no foreseeable end in sight, robocalls are becoming an increasing annoyance in American life. There are ways, however, to decrease if not totally prevent these spam calls. Arizonans can utilize a blocking service on their smartphone device, which can help fight the problem, according to experts. Another effective trick? Not answering unknown numbers.