Phone scammers are getting smarter and flooding phones across the country.
New data shows Americans are receiving billions of robocalls each month, many tied to scams and telemarketing.
Locals say the calls are constant.
“Ten a day or more,” is how many Aaron Anderson, a Los Osos resident, says he receives.
“A couple times a day,” added Riley Gajtos from Paso Robles. “I decline and block the number.”
Spam-blocking app YouMail estimates Americans received four to five billion unwanted calls this spring and summer, with more than half coming from scammers or telemarketers.
Police say reports come in almost daily.
“It’s a very common theme,” said San Luis Obispo Police Lieutenant Bryan Treanor. “We get them quite frequently.”
Experts say scammers are increasingly spoofing local area codes to trick people into answering. Nearly three in four robocalls in 2025 used fake local numbers, up about 50 percent from last year, according to Nomorobo.
Even cautious users get caught.
“I accidentally answered once with my AirPods in,” Gajtos said. “That’s when they really ramped up.”
Officials urge people not to answer unknown numbers, never share personal information, and use call-blocking tools.
San Luis Obispo Police say scams can also be reported through their non-emergency line (805) 781-7312, and some of those cases are investigated at the federal level.
