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If you own a phone, chances are you’ve been subject to some type of robocall. You might receive one or even multiple robocalls daily.
These pesky and unwanted phone calls are not only a nuisance, but they’ve also led to innocent victims being scammed out of their own money.
Unfortunately, seniors are among the hardest hit when it comes to scam phone calls. In fact, people 60 and older lost a total of $298 million to scams and fraud in 2019, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The median loss for 60- to 69-year-olds was $615; for 70- to 79-year-olds, the loss was slightly higher at $802. But those 80 and older reported the largest losses, with a median individual loss of $1,800.
Since robocalls have no boundaries and occur throughout the entire country, Missouri-based Provision Living Senior Communities wanted to analyze where robocalls are happening the most.
Using data from the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry, they analyzed robocall complaints in every state and visualized the data per capita.
The analysis breaks down the states that receive the most robocalls per capita as well as the states that have seen the greatest increase in robocalls since 2015.
States with the Most Robocalls in 2019
In 2019, Colorado was the hardest-hit state in terms of receiving the most robocalls.
According to the FTC, residents in the Rocky Mountain state filed 130,640 robocall complaints, or 2,403 robocalls per capita (100,000 people).
Neighboring Arizona was No. 2, with 158,549 robocall complaints, or 2,328 per capita.
However, if you’re looking for a little solace from robocalls, your best bet might be to move to Alaska. In 2019, the state was home to the fewest robocall complaints with just 4,287, or 580 per capita.
Pennsylvania ranked 12th in the nation for robocalls, with 1,887 calls per capita in 2019.
States with the Most Robocalls Since 2015
Along with analyzing robocalls in 2019, Provision Living also looked at overall robocalls within the last five years.
The East Coast seems to be a magnet for robocalls, as New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut all rank within the top five.
Since 2015, New Jersey received a total of 1,071,918 robocall complaints, which makes it the No. 1 state in the nation for robocalls, according to the FTC.
Nearby Delaware, which ranks No. 2, received a staggering 10,735 robocalls per capita.
Overall, Alaska once again seems to be somewhat of a safe haven from robocalls, with 15,627 robocall complaints within the last five years, or 2,116 per capita.
Surprisingly, this is slightly less than the number of complaints that New Jersey received in 2019 alone.
Nationwide Increase
Regardless of where you live, robocalls have only gone up in the last five years. Nationwide, robocalls have seen an average annual increase of 14% since 2015.
During that same time, robocalls in Indiana, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C. have increased more than double the national average.
Utah and Louisiana have also been targeted particularly hard and have experienced an average annual increase of 25%.
Pennsylvania saw a 17% increase in robocalls since 2015, ranking 27th out of the 50 states.
While tougher fines and restrictions are being put in place to deter robocalls and scams, it’s still important to be educated and vigilant on these unwanted phone calls, especially to avoid becoming a victim to a potential scam.
https://www.provisionliving.com/news/which-states-get-most-robocalls