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Robocalls Continue Surge, Hitting Record 2.3 Billion in January, YouMail Says

The number of U.S. robocalls jumped 55 percent to 2.3 billion in January compared to December, a new monthly high, said YouMail in a release Thursday noting its latest National Robocall index. That's 858 robocalls per second on average and is roughly three times the rate from four months ago, said the company, which bases its estimates on calls blocked and/or reported as spam by subscribers using its intelligent telecom answering services. “Having answered billions of calls for its users, YouMail uses algorithms to detect any automatically dialed calls and then aggregates that call data into the Robocall Index," it said. Atlanta was the most-targeted city, receiving 99.6 million robocalls, followed by Dallas, Chicago, Houston and New York City. Columbus, Ohio, generated 71.6 million robocalls, the most of any city for the third straight month, said the firm, noting credit card debt collectors remained the most prolific robocallers, occupying 18 of the top 20 spots. YouMail said the presidential campaign may have contributed some to the increase in January, as the number of robocalls in Iowa grew 46 percent; New Hampshire 55 percent; and in South Carolina 79 percent in Charleston, 83 percent in Columbia.