Scammers Annoy Everyone with Calls at 9 p.m.
Let’s be honest—calls from unknown numbers can drive anyone mad, and that includes officials. The reality is, fraudsters are ripping off Americans daily, and the staggering amount of money lost could cover transportation costs, grocery expenses, or even the very phone bills they’re exploiting.
Interestingly, a report highlighted that, “Twenty-five percent of the younger age group said they have been scammed more than once.” This statistic emphasizes a critical issue.
In response to the massive financial losses—billions every year—the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is stepping in with some guidance. Now, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is a bit of a controversial character, but this latest move might actually attract support from both ends of the political spectrum. He’s called on the agency to come up with effective strategies aimed at combating spam calls and texts.
On social media, Carr stated, “As part of our ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal robocalls and text, the FCC has published step-by-step guides that enable consumers to turn on blocking and filtering tools.” This was followed up by a collection of government guides designed to help individuals block unwanted numbers, filter out spam messages, and manage who can reach them on their smartphones—whether iPhone or Android. These guidelines are even tailored for major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Though at first glance, these instructions might appear aimed at older adults, studies show that younger individuals are actually more vulnerable to falling for fraud schemes. The Public Interest Network’s 2024 report revealed that adults aged 18 to 44 are three times as likely to be successfully targeted compared to those aged 55 and above. In fact, that same 25% of young adults affected indicated they’ve been scammed multiple times.
The analysis pointed out that older Americans, conversely, generally avoid scams because they tend not to answer calls or texts from unfamiliar numbers. “Fifty-seven percent have signed up for services like ‘Do Not Call’ registries compared to just 30% of younger adults (ages 18-64),” it noted. Additionally, 21% of older individuals utilize caller ID apps or have caller ID on their landlines, while only 14% of younger people do the same.
Interestingly, it appears men are more often victims of these scam calls, with 79% admitting to falling for one in the past year, compared to 68% of women. Oddly enough, women tend to ignore spam communications more frequently—65% to 54%—despite receiving about 5% more spam calls monthly.
The toll of these scams is significant, impacting about 21% of American adults, leading to an average annual loss of around $450 per individual and a staggering total of $25 billion across the country.
Location also plays a role in this issue. A study by WhistleOut found notable differences in robocalling frequency across states. Since 2020, Louisiana has experienced the most drastic increase in robocalls at a shocking 792%, far outpacing Mississippi’s 117%. Meanwhile, Alaska, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas each saw increases exceeding 50% since then.
On the flip side, Utah registered the largest decline, with a decrease of 34%, and several other states—including Nevada, Arizona, and New Jersey—also noted reductions.
Furthermore, the FCC has issued advisories detailing various types of scams, encompassing collect call scams and cell phone fraud, notably one referred to as “The One Ring.” They offer resources to inform people about the laws surrounding unsolicited calls and text messages.
Despite these efforts, it doesn’t seem like the calls will let up anytime soon. In 2025, roughly 52 billion robocalls were made in the U.S., and projections indicate that number could swell to 58 billion by 2028, if current trends persist.
