The rise of robotexts

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BY THE NUMBERS | Federal officials take aim at scam messaging amid a surge in unwanted texts

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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18,900

The approximate number of complaints the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received in 2022 regarding scam text messages, up from 3,300 received in 2015. On March 16, 2023, the FCC announced new rules for robotexting.

246 million

The number of active phone numbers signed up for the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry, which the FCC would like to extend to text messaging, too.

$231 million

The amount of money lost to text scammers during the first three quarters of 2022, according to the FCC.

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