By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Americans are more frustrated by robocalls than other telemarketing calls. Last year there was a 25% rise in complaints to a federal regulator.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported that it had received over 5,000,000 complaints regarding violations of Do Not Call Registry during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2018.

Top complaints include calls from people pretending to represent government officials or relatives, as well as requests to provide warranties, protection programs, or assistance with computer problems.

“Consumer complaints about illegal calls — especially robocalls — have increased significantly,” the agency said.

FTC data showed that the number of 2021 complaints was higher at 4 million than in 2020, but it was still slightly lower than the 5.4 million reported in 2019.

In 2021, more than 2.8million people added their numbers to the “Do Not Call” list. This brings the total number of Do Not Callers to 244,000,000.

FTC said that the problem calls were partly due to tech that allows fraud artists and telemarketers hide their identities, or to “spoof” the number they’re calling from.

It stated that automated dialing and recorded or robot calls enable callers reach large numbers of people quickly and it is difficult for the agency to track down criminals.

Scammers can make cheap calls outside of the United States using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).