PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — People living in Oregon can expect a plethora of robocall scams this tax season, according to a new study.
AllAreaCodes.com released results Tuesday from a survey that analyzed 20 million different consumer complaints released by the Federal Trades Commission over the previous three years (2016-2019).
Results showed that Oregon is the third-most targeted state in the country for robocall phone scams during tax season. The state had 2,227 FTC complaints per 100,000 people. By comparison, the national average was 1,652 per 100,000.
Colorado ranked as the top state with robocalls (2,294 per 100,000); Alaska had the least (581 per 100,000).
The FTC also collects more detailed information about where consumers are located when filing a complaint. Complaints to the FTC roll in from both urban and rural areas. Oregon’s Multnomah County (Portland) also ranked third, behind only Wake County (Raleigh, North Carolina) and Fairfax County (Centreville, VA).
Analysts on the study said phone scammers have traditionally targeted older people or those with poor English-speaking skills, but today they go after just about everyone.
Consumers should expect even more scam calls this tax season than past years and data shows there was a 20% increase in robocalls in 2019 from the previous year. Analysts said 2020 maintaining the 2019 pace.