First, it was Ohio Turnpike Smishing scams. Now, Ohio is plagued with robocalls more than most other states.

The state ranks second-highest for the largest number of robocalls in 2024, according to recent data from the Federal Trade Commission.

Here's what we know about robocalls in Ohio and how to protect yourself from them.

Ohio ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for robocalls

Ohio has also seen a spike in robocalls around the holiday season, and it's considered one of the top hotspots for unwanted calls, NumberBarn research shows. It found that annual losses from robocalls and text scams totaled $851 million lost in 2023, nearly double the amount from 2020. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to falling victim.

Across the state, there were nearly 100,000 robocall complaint reports filed, or 849 per 100,000 residents. That put Ohioat No. 2 in the country for robocall complaints per capita, according to FTC data from fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024). Only Delaware had a higher per capita rate.

Three Ohio cities landed among the top U.S. 15 cities for the most robocalls, per NumberBarn. Robocalls were most common in Columbus (No. 6), Cleveland (No. 7), and Cincinnati (No. 11), according to the data. Each of the cities reported over 4,000 robocall complaints this year, with Columbus having a total of 8,179 complaints.

NumberBarn writes that the holiday season amplifies the issue of the phone and text scams since more people are likely to purchase, donate, and give money during this time. During the holidays, Ohio's robocall volume ranked in the top 25 with more than 18,000 robocall complaints made in 2023.

What are the most common types of robocall scams?

Robocalls aren't just limited to phone calls. The FTC says that scammers can contact in multiple ways, including through the use of AI. In most cases, the scammer poses as a representative to convince you to pay them or provide personal details.

Some methods scammers may attempt to use include:

While you can use the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry, it doesn't stop all unwanted calls. Here are ways that you can spot a scammer heading into the holiday season.

If you believe you were the victim of a phone scam, the FTC recommends contacting your bank and reporting what you know to the agency's fraud reporting portal. FTC also provides guidance on what to do if you already paid a scammer or revealed personal information to them.