Here's How Many Robocalls Are Plaguing NYC

NEW YORK — Even robots can't resist the Big Apple. Annoying robocalls have hit New York City harder than almost anywhere else this year, prompting lawmakers to urge action against them.

New Yorkers have already received more than 1.25 billion robocalls in 2019, the third-highest number among U.S. cities, according to data compiled by YouMail, which provides a robocall-blocking service. Those account for more than half the roughly 2.3 billion calls recorded across the state this year.

Only Atlanta and Dallas are in worse shape with about 1..54 billion and 1.47 billion calls so far this year, respectively, YouMail's Robocall Index shows.

Pesky spam calls have become an increasingly common nuisance across New York in recent years. More than 3 billion robocalls rang phones across the Empire State in 2018, up from just 1.56 billion in 2016, the index shows.

The growing scourge of robocalls has led state legislators to draft a bill that would essentially ban them in New York. The Robocall Prevention Act would make it illegal for any person or entity to make robocalls to any New Yorker's phone number without permission, unless there is an emergency.

"Though it is heartening that Congress has passed bills on the issue, there has not yet been a change in federal law and New Yorkers can’t wait for our dysfunctional government in Washington D.C. to act," state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsors the measure.

Immigrants, seniors and others are especially vulnerable to scam robocalls, which cause consumers to lose an estimated $9 billion each year, according to Chuck Bell, the programs director for Consumer Reports.

All 50 state attorneys general — including New York AG Letitia James — reached a deal last month with 12 phone companies who agreed to work against illegal robocalls and help prosecutors target the perpetrators.

While the phone companies agreed to install call-blocking technology under that pact, Hoylman's bill would require the firms to offer such services to consumers for free. The legislation would also establish civil penalties for illegal robocalls and allow New Yorkers to sue robocallers on their own.

"The time is now to pass comprehensive legislation and create real protections for New Yorkers before more harm is done," state Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, the bill's other prime sponsor, said in a statement.