Still getting robocalls? So is everyone else as spam hits 6-year high despite law to crack down on companies, study shows

Spam robocalls are on the rise, hitting a six-year high even after lawmakers promised to crack down on phone companies that allow the pesky, unsolicited contact.

Across the country, spam robocalls have hit the highest levels since 2019, averaging about 2.56 billion a month for 2025 — up from 2.14 billion a month in 2024, according to a new report by consumer watchdog, U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

The report comes five years after the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act – the TRACED Act – took effect. The 2019 legislation required phone carriers to implement caller ID authentication software and update the Federal Communications Commission when they’ve completely installed the tech.

However, only 44 percent of phone companies have completely installed the required software and adopted anti-robocall policies — down from 47 percent in 2024, according to the report.

Out of the 9,242 phone companies that filed with the FCC as of September 28, 2025, only 4,084 had completely installed the robocall-fighting software, down from 4,365 last year.

Overall, 2,909 companies had not installed the necessary technology – up from 2,567 last year. The status of 553 companies was not available, according to the report.

It was not immediately clear why the numbers were down. The report notes “the most likely reasons are that companies submitted inaccurate information last year, merged with noncompliant companies, or installed new equipment that isn’t compliant.”

The technology is important because it allows phone companies to authenticate that a call is actually coming from the number it is displaying. It would also help determine whether the call should be blocked or labeled as spam before the receiver’s phone even rings, according to PIRG.

In addition to non-compliance, the sheer number of spam robocalls that Americans receive daily has skyrocketed. One in three Americans gets at least one scam call a day, while two-thirds get at least one a week, according to the report.

There were over 420 million more scam and telemarketing calls a month this year, on average, compared to 2024, according to the robocall-blocking company YouMail.

The report also notes that scam texts are becoming more frequent and more advanced, with artificial intelligence “making scams easier for bad guys and more believable to us.”

While these scams waste time and push patience, they can also be costly.

The amount of money lost to scams that started with a phone call increased by 16 percent from the first half of 2024 to the first half of 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Among those who lost money this past year, they lost on average, $3,690, according to the report.

“This is like the Twilight Zone,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

“When the government mandates something to protect Americans – think seat belts – we usually see more compliance each year. But in this case, fewer companies are protecting us and the volume of unwanted calls has increased,” according to Murray, who also co-wrote the report.

In response, every single attorney general in the U.S. joined a bipartisan Operation Robocall Roundup in August, sending warning letters to 37 voice providers demanding they stop allowing illegal robocalls to go through their networks.

“It’s outrageous that, with almost one in three of us getting at least one scam call every day, lawmakers, regulators and the phone companies themselves aren’t doing more to prevent that,” said Faye Park, the president of U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

“People should be able to answer their phones without having to worry every time that something bad might happen.”