Also included in the top 10 are company names you might be familiar with, including: Time Warner Cable, Capitol One Bank, Fifth Third Bank and Chase.
MORE: ‘Can you hear me now?’ scam targeting local people
Americans overall were hit by an estimated 2.37 billion robocalls in December, which is an ever higher increase of 141 percent from the year before, according to the study.
“Debt collectors, market research, political advertising and things like that are perfectly legal,” said Randy Sparks, a professor of Marketing at the University of Dayton.
A spokesman for Time Warner Cable said that there were good reasons for the company’s high ranking in robocalls.
“The vast majority of these calls are made to confirm schedule appointments and to notify customers that a technician is en route,” a company statement reads.
The calls keep coming because robocalling is easy and inexpensive, said Sparks.
“It’s very cheap. In fact, robocalling is a highly cost effective way to reaching people,” Sparks said. “The success rate may be lower, but the cost per call goes down so much that it justifies the use of a robot as opposed to a person.”
MORE: How to protect yourself from ID scams
There are ways to stop at least some of the calls, according to the Federal Trade Commission:
- do not answer the phone if you don't recognize the number calling you
- do not respond to the robocall voice prompts verbally or by pressing any buttons
- block each number individually on your smartphone
- contact your phone provider to see if they can block numbers for you
- sign up for the "Do Not Call" registry at www.donotcall.gov
If you continue to receive robocalls- file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov
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