Robocalls down in August—trend, or blip?

Robocalls in the U.S. were down about 8% in August, according to the YouMail Robocall Index. Is this a trend, or a blip? Let’s have a look.

Show me the numbers

Chart showing monthly robocalls in the U.S. were down in August

Here are the monthly robocall numbers for 2021.

MonthRobocallsChange
Jan 20214,016,613,0003.8%
Feb 20214,623,874,20015.1%
Mar 20214,939,870,4006.8%
Apr 20214,427,314,500-10.4%
May 20213,991,129,400-9.9%
Jun 20214,441,444,30011.3%
Jul 20214,426,771,600-0.3%
Aug 20214,059,014,700-8.3%
bar chart

Is this because of SHAKEN, or something else?

We’ve been keeping track of SHAKEN statistics since April 2021. The percentage of calls received that were signed with SHAKEN has been steadily growing. It’s up again in August.

MonthCalls received that were signed
Apr 20212.3%
May 20216.2%
Jun 20218.9%
Jul 202115.6%
Aug 202123.0%

Good news: SHAKEN participation is growing. Bad news: it’s still a small proportion of calls.

However, SHAKEN doesn’t prevent robocalls by itself. It helps combat caller ID spoofing, a tactic used with unlawful robocalls.

We take an optimistic view of this data. SHAKEN helps call analytics be used more effectively. SHAKEN usage is up. It’s reasonable to attribute some portion of the drop in robocalls to better analytics.

Other contributing factors

Call analytics can be used to prevent robocalls. These methods become much more effective when combined with SHAKEN call authentication. The increased use of SHAKEN might be making call analytics, sometimes referred to as Call Validation Treatment, more effective.

Other factors might also account for robocall prevention:

  • Increased traceback activity by the Traceback Group
  • Enforcement action by the FCC

There’s more to do

Robocall prevention will get a boost in effectiveness as other SHAKEN capabilities are deployed in widespread use. For example:

  • Shaken for TDM, using new non-IP SHAKEN methods will enable more calls to be authenticated. This will really take a dent out of robocalls.
  • Emerging SHAKEN technologies, like Rich Call Data and Delegate Certificates, will increase market demand for SHAKEN, especially among enterprise callers, which will encourage participation among service providers taking an extension.

TransNexus solutions

We offer STIR/SHAKEN and robocall mitigation solutions in our ClearIP and NexOSS software platforms. We can make your STIR/SHAKEN deployment a smooth process.

In addition, we help service providers with all aspects of STIR/SHAKEN deployment, including registering with the Policy Administrator and filing their certification with the FCC.

Contact us today to learn more.

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