BELLINGHAM — Whether its the dreaded “scam likely” tag on a phone call or the suspicious text from an unknown number, spam has become ubiquitous in recent years.
But do some parts of the U.S. get more spam calls and messages than others? A recent analysis conducted by software development company Inoxoft tried to answer that question.
The company reviewed Federal Communications Commission data on the over 91,000 spam calls and messages that have been reported through late September of this year. It then ranked each state by the number of calls it had received relative to its population.
The results suggest that Washington receives among the most spam in the country.
WA gets more spam than most states
According to the analysis, Washingtonians have reported 39.75 spam calls per 100,000 residents so far in 2024. That was the fourth-highest amount reported of any state, and nearly double the national median of 21.79. Only North Carolina, Alaska and Connecticut have a higher rate than Washington. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Washingtonians received among the most spam calls and texts, just since they could simply be more likely to report spam than residents of other states. On the opposite end of the spectrum were Louisiana, Hawai’i and South Dakota, with between 12 and 13 spam calls and messages per 100,000 residents.
Washington ranked higher than both of its neighboring states, as Oregon took the tenth spot with 32.27 calls per 100,000 people, and Idaho ranked No. 43 with 16.28.
According to the Washington State Attorney General’s office, a large number of the complaints the office handles are related to spam and it estimates that over half of emails that people receive are spam. An estimate by TruCaller, cited by the Attorney General’s office, claims that 1.1 million Washingtonians lost money to a robocall scam in 2022. The state enacted anti-robocall legislation in mid-2023, making it illegal for a company to intentionally falsify its caller identification display, and for a voice service provider to knowingly provide a recording that’s used for a scam.
Most common types of spam message in WA
The analysis also broke down the results by category for the three most common types of spam: texts, calls, and pre-recorded messages. Text messages were the type of communication most likely to be reported as spam in the Evergreen State. Washingtonians have reported 1,548 spam texts so far in 2024, compared to 748 spam calls and 550 pre-recorded messages.
Those numbers aren’t complete counts, though, as they don’t include spam calls that haven’t been reported. Estimates cited by the FCC show that U.S. consumers receive four billion spam calls and messages each month, or roughly 12 calls and messages a month for each person in the country. While the FCC has implemented policies to prevent them, they haven’t gone away entirely.
How to report a spam call
If you receive an unwanted call that you suspect is spam, you can report it to the FCC on the agency’s website. The Washington State Attorney General’s office also maintains a reporting form on its website, as well as advice on what to do if you receive a spam call. If you wish to not receive unwanted telemarketing calls, you can sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry.
Tips for spotting spam in WA
According to the state Attorney General’s office, there are several hints that can tell you if a call is spam. If a caller claims that you’ve won a sweepstakes, especially if they ask you to pay to claim your prize, it’s likely a scam. “Any contest in which you must pay money to win a prize is a lottery. With the exception of state-run contests, lotteries are prohibited by federal law,” the website of the AG’s office says.
A common but less obvious strategy involves a scam caller soliciting donations for a nonprofit. These can be difficult to differentiate from real charities, but there are a few tells. “Scam artists will ask for (or demand) a donation NOW and will refuse to send written information concerning the charity,” the AG’s office says. Lastly, the office says you should be suspicious of any caller claiming to have inside information on the stock market and asking you to invest.
Here are some other things you should do if you receive a spam call, according to the state’s Attorney General’s office.
