NEW
YORK, Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/
-- Robotexts reached 12.8 billion while robocalls soared to
4.8 billion in October, a combined 6% month-over-month increase,
according to Robokiller Insights. The simultaneous spike can be
attributed to scammers shifting their tactics — they're inundating
Americans with well-timed scams surrounding current events like
holiday shopping and student loan repayments.
Delivery robotexts skyrocket as holiday shopping
begins
With holiday shopping underway, scammers flooded
consumers with robotexts related to delivery scams. These SMS
ploys, intended to trick people into giving away their sensitive
information, increased by 16% from September. Robokiller cautions
Americans to keep an eye out for messages that look like they're
coming from well-known shipping companies, as they could contain
fake shipping links or prompts to update shipping preferences.
Robocalls increase as government efforts
tighten
Even though robocalls overall increased in
October, the federal government is confronting the problem head-on,
specifically the growing concern that scammers will use AI to
defraud consumers of their hard-earned money. Generative AI allows
scammers to create deep fakes or even clone the voices of their
loved ones to gain their targets' personal information. The
government hopes to combat robocalls that use AI with AI itself,
but like other regulations, this will take time to implement.
Therefore, it's paramount that consumers stay vigilant when
receiving unknown calls or text messages that may look
suspicious.
"The government's efforts to combat robocalls are ongoing but
we've already witnessed tremendous success in shutting down
well-known scams like the infamous car warranty call. The problem
is, scammers are smart and shift tactics quickly," said
Giulia Porter, Vice President at
Robokiller. "The usual seasonal trends like delivery-related scams
caused an increase in October, but the bigger, emerging threat
consumers need to be aware of is AI. Generative AI affords scammers
the ability to mask their true identities and appear more
trustworthy even as they steal money and personal information from
you. We suggest consumers install a mobile security app like
Robokiller to protect themselves from falling victim."
Mobile security protection can be an end-to-end
solution
Robokiller is dedicated to protecting
consumers from emerging phone scams by adding new features to its
mobile security suite. Its recent addition of personal data
protection gives consumers greater control over their online
presence by empowering them to remove their personal data from data
broker websites that scammers scour for targets. Visit the
Robokiller website to learn more.
How to stop phone scams
At Robokiller, it's our
mission to create a world without spam. In addition to downloading
the Robokiller app, follow these tips to protect yourself
against spam texts and spam calls.
Additionally, if your brand is interested in protecting against
scams perpetrated under its name, contact our enterprise service
team.
About Robokiller
Trusted by more than 12 million
people, Robokiller is the award-winning spam call + text blocker
app that blocks 99% of dangerous phone scams. Winner of the FTC's
Robocalls Against Humanity competition, Robokiller uses AI+machine
learning to identify and block any incoming spam call and text
within 0.01 second of it reaching a users' phone - all before they
ever see it. To date, Robokiller has blocked over 1 billion phone
scams and prevented over $700 million
in consumer losses.
Robokiller's proprietary data insights have been featured by The
New York Times, ABC World News, Good
Morning America, and many others. Robokiller is available for
download in the Apple App Store
and Google Play. To learn more,
visit www.robokiller.com. Robokiller, a Teltech brand, is a
division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).
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SOURCE Robokiller