Feb 15, 2021 - Economy

Survey: Most Americans aren't answering the phone to avoid robocalls

Orion Rummler

Illustration of the shadow of a hand over a cell phone. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Roughly 94% of Americans surveyed by Hiya, an app that blocks spammers, say they don't pick up the phone for unidentified callers due to the onslaught of robocalls.

Zoom out: State health departments across the U.S. use calls to perform contact tracing, which aims to help slow the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging quarantines and other precautions.

By the numbers: 4 billion robocalls targeted Americans in January alone, according to call-blocking company YouMail.

That's 1,500 robocalls every second, or 12.2 calls for every person.

What's new: Pandemic-specific scams have been added to standard swindles about Social Security, auto warranties and credit cards.

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Survey: Most Americans aren't answering the phone to avoid robocalls

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