Monthly US Robocall Report · Final edition
Robocalls in America: October 2026
Americans filed 250,250 complaints with the FTC's Do Not Call Registry in October 2026, about 8,073 a day, 2% fewer per day than in September.
By Andrew Pickett, OmegaIT · Published 2026-11-05 · Data: FTC Do Not Call complaint files, 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-31 (31 days), and FCC consumer complaints
Key findings
- Americans filed 250,250 complaints with the FTC's Do Not Call Registry in October 2026, about 8,073 a day, 2% fewer per day than in September.
- Debt reduction calls were the most common named complaint, at 26.3% of all reports; 91% of them were recorded messages.
- 75% of consumers who answered the question said the call was a robocall (a recorded message).
- 34% of the calls reported showed the complainant's own area code on the caller ID, the signature of neighbor spoofing.
- The complaints named 211,760 different phone numbers.
- 10.7% of the month's complaints fit 4 statistically detected campaigns that cycle through thousands of numbers; the largest used 7,707 numbers.
- California residents filed the most complaints (29,117).
- Per resident, Nebraska was hit hardest: 110.6 complaints per 100,000 people (30-day rate).
- Among states with at least 500 complaints, Delaware rose fastest: +42% per day on September.
National trend
8,073 FTC complaints a day in October 2026, against 8,236 a day in September 2026 (247,071 over 30 days). The complaints named 211,760 different numbers and came from consumers in 54 states and territories. The FCC, which takes far fewer complaints, logged 7,625 unwanted-call complaints over the same days (246 a day, +31% on September 2026). 19% of FTC complaints were about toll-free numbers.
Top scam and robocall types
The subject consumers picked when reporting to the FTC. “Other” and “No subject” are what the FTC form records when no category fits or none was chosen.
| Subject | Complaints | Share | Share in September | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 96,787 | 38.7% | 38.8% | 71% |
| Debt reduction | 65,837 | 26.3% | 25.1% | 91% |
| Impostor (government, business, family) | 27,674 | 11.1% | 10.9% | 72% |
| Dropped call / no message | 19,080 | 7.6% | 7.9% | 61% |
| No subject given | 16,121 | 6.4% | 6.6% | 79% |
| Medical & prescriptions | 12,205 | 4.9% | 5.5% | 77% |
| Warranties & protection plans | 3,397 | 1.4% | 1.3% | 59% |
| Home improvement & cleaning | 2,914 | 1.2% | 1.3% | 40% |
| Vacation & timeshares | 1,440 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 54% |
| Lotteries, prizes & sweepstakes | 1,372 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 38% |
| Energy, solar & utilities | 1,142 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 35% |
| Computer & tech support | 852 | 0.3% | 0.4% | 57% |
Most complaints, by state
- California29,117+9%
- Florida22,639-12%
- Texas18,328-14%
- Illinois10,922-8%
- Pennsylvania9,328-10%
- New Jersey8,911+17%
- North Carolina8,842+12%
- Georgia8,823-7%
- Michigan8,481+2%
- Virginia8,443+9%
Totals are raw. Change is per day against September 2026; † means a concentrated single-town source is left out of the change (see methodology).
Most complaints per resident
- Nebraska110.6per 100K
- Tennessee103.5per 100K
- Arizona100.7per 100K
- Oklahoma97.3per 100K
- Florida93.7per 100K
- Nevada93.1per 100K
- Virginia92.7per 100K
- Idaho92.4per 100K
- New Jersey90.8per 100K
- Colorado89.3per 100K
30-day rate per 100,000 residents (Census 2024 estimates); states with 300+ complaints.
Fastest-rising states
Per-day change against September 2026, ranked only among states with 500+ complaints this month and 10+ a day in both months, after leaving out concentrated single-town sources. WV: Morgantown, MS: Canton, AK: Wasilla, VT: Barre, VT: Pittsford were left out.
Local area codes shown most
Notable campaigns
Statistical groupings of many numbers that drew the same complaint in the same pattern. They don't identify who is calling. Method.
- Debt-relief robocall campaign on toll-free numbers15,959 complaints this month from 7,707 numbers (6.4% of all)
- Debt-relief robocall campaign on local numbers10,427 complaints this month from 8,780 numbers (4.2% of all)
- Impostor robocall campaign on local numbers230 complaints this month from 172 numbers (0.1% of all)
- Medical and prescription live-caller campaign on local numbers72 complaints this month from 69 numbers (0% of all)
For journalists
Quote any figure on this page with credit. The chart is free to embed.
Suggested citation
WhoCalledLookup. "US Robocall Report: October 2026." https://whocalledlookup.com/reports/robocalls/2026-10. Analysis of FTC Do Not Call and FCC consumer complaint data, published 2026-11-05.
Embed the chart
<a href="https://whocalledlookup.com/reports/robocalls/2026-10"><img src="https://whocalledlookup.com/reports/robocalls/2026-10/chart.png" width="1200" height="630" alt="Daily FTC unwanted-call complaints, October 2026" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a> <p>Source: <a href="https://whocalledlookup.com/reports/robocalls/2026-10">WhoCalledLookup US Robocall Report, October 2026</a>, from FTC Do Not Call data.</p>
Chart image: 1200×630 PNG.
Press contact
Methodology and sources
- FTC figures count complaints the FTC received between 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-31 (31 days), from its daily Do Not Call files. They are unverified consumer reports of calls that displayed a number; caller ID is often spoofed.
- Comparisons with September 2026 use complaints per day, so a partial month compares fairly.
- “Recorded message” shares count only consumers who answered the FTC's robocall question. “Own area code” means the calling number's area code matched the complainant's.
- States are where the complainant lives. Per-resident rates use Census Bureau 2024 population estimates, scaled to 30 days.
- Concentrated sources. The FTC file has no filer ID, but it records the complainant's town and the area code of their own phone. A town + phone area code that supplies 10%+ of a state's complaints and either files at 3× its previous daily rate (while filing more per resident than 2× the state average) or files 5× the state's per-resident rate is treated as one or a few very active filers. Totals keep these complaints; growth and per-resident rankings leave them out, and growth rankings need 500+ complaints and 10+ a day in both months. This month: Morgantown, WV (806 phones): 119 complaints, 12% of the state, 6.7× the state's per-resident rate; Canton, MS (601 phones): 413 complaints, 25% of the state, up from 70; Wasilla, AK (907 phones): 33 complaints, 10% of the state, 7.2× the state's per-resident rate; Barre, VT (617 phones): 38 complaints, 15% of the state, 11.4× the state's per-resident rate; Pittsford, VT (802 phones): 33 complaints, 13% of the state, 28.4× the state's per-resident rate.
- Headline check: without the flagged sources (636 complaints, 0.3% of the total), the national per-day change would be -2%, the top named subject's share 26.3%, the recorded-message share 75% and the own-area-code share 34%.
- Campaigns: prefix blocks with 10+ numbers sharing one subject (70%+) at 5×+ the usual density, grouped by subject, number type and call style over the 60 days to the report date, listed only when they have 50+ numbers, no single town + phone area code supplying 25%+ of the complaints, and every other test on the campaigns page.
- First published 2026-11-05. This snapshot was generated 2026-11-05 19:00 UTC and won't change; any correction is noted at the top.
Sources
October 2026 robocall report: questions answered
How many robocall complaints did Americans file in October 2026?
250,250 complaints about unwanted calls were filed with the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry between 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-31, about 8,073 a day (-2% per day on September 2026). The FCC, which takes far fewer complaints, logged 7,625 unwanted-call complaints over the same days. The complaints named 211,760 different phone numbers.
What were the robocalls in October 2026 about?
The most common named subject was debt reduction, at 26.3% of all FTC complaints, 91% of them recorded messages. Next came impostor (government, business, family) (11.1%) and medical & prescriptions (4.9%). The subject is the category the complainant chose on the FTC form.
What share of the calls reported in October 2026 were robocalls?
75% of the consumers who answered the FTC's question said the call was a recorded message. 34% of the calls displayed the complainant's own area code, the signature of neighbor spoofing, and 19% came from toll-free numbers.
Which state had the most robocall complaints in October 2026?
California residents filed the most complaints (29,117). Per resident, Nebraska was hit hardest at 110.6 complaints per 100,000 people (30-day rate, Census 2024 population). States are where the complainant lives, not where the call was placed.
Where does the data in this report come from?
From two public datasets: the FTC's daily Do Not Call complaint files (the number reported, when it called, the subject, whether it was a recorded message, and the complainant's city and state) and the FCC's Consumer Complaint Data. Both are unverified consumer reports about calls that displayed a number, and caller ID is often spoofed. The edition was generated on 2026-11-05 and is final; the figures will not change.