It feels like spam calls have gotten out of control lately. With more calls resulting in sales pitches and attempts to scam you, people are answering their phones less and less.
A new report from call identification and blocking company Hiya shows just how bad these spam calls have gotten.
Released today, the “State of the Phone Call” report is based on data from 11 billion calls analyzed monthly. The report includes breakdowns of the types of calls made or received, how often phone calls were answered, and the average duration of the calls.
The biggest takeaway from the report: an out-of-control trend in robocalls. The report cites a 46 percent increase in 2018 for a total of 26.3 billion in the year.
Other key highlights show that, on average, people receive 114 phone calls per month. Of those, an average of 61 come from numbers not in their contacts. Of those unidentified calls (not saved in contacts), only 24 percent get answered.
This means that a whopping 76 percent of unidentified phone calls are ignored or sent to voicemail. Alternatively, users answer 70 percent of calls from somebody in their contacts.
Ultimately, the report reinforces what many consider a growing problem. The report is also perfectly timed to coincide with the Federal Communications Commission Open Commission meeting on January 30. On the docket is a proposal for an amendment to the Truth in Caller ID Act (.pdf) and anti-spoofing rules.
Hiya’s full report can be seen here (.pdf). Want to take action? Find out more about blocking spam calls with Hiya.
