It’s Not Your Imagination: Michigan is Getting a Lot of Robocalls

Does anyone even answer their phones anymore? Robocalls have become annoyingly pervasive in Michigan.

Is your car warranty about to expire? Has your Visa credit limit been extended? Is that really Apple calling you? Should you give them your social security number? Maybe...possibly (but not likely)...no...and, NO.

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, and Michigan is now ranked 16th in the country.

• Michigan was the 16th hardest-hit state in 2019. Michigan residents filed 176,596 robocall complaints, or 1,779 robocalls per 100,000 residents.
• Since 2015, Michigan has received the 13th most robocalls of any state. 931,942 robocalls or 9,389 robocalls per 100,000 residents.
• Nationwide, robocalls have seen an average increase of 14% since 2015. Michigan saw a slightly higher increase in that time period at 17%.
• Top types of robocalls in Michigan since 2015 include debt reduction, medical & prescription calls and imposters.

Provision Living, a company designed to assist seniors looked at the numbers because, "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 60-69 year olds was $615 and for 70-79 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."

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.