New data shows an increase in robocalls to the 503 area code.

PORTLAND, Ore. — If your phone rang today, there's a good chance it was a robocall. These automated calls are ringing by the billions across the country.

The 503 area code in Portland received 20.4 million robocalls in October, which amounts to 681,000 robocalls a day and 28,000 robocalls an hour according to data provided by Youmail.

"It's very easy for a scammer to basically go to a website, upload some audio and annoy Portland for a few hundred dollars," Alex Quilici, Ceo of Youmail, a service that works to block robocalls said.

Quilici said robocall rates have soared across the country and being on the "Do not call list" won't help.

"The "Do not call" list works really well if you don't want American Express and Citibank to call you," Quilici said. "It does nothing for the overseas scammer who is pretending to be the IRS."

So what can you do?

Experts recommend:

Don't answer numbers you don't recognize.

Get a robocall blocking app for your phone.

Search a number before calling back.

The FCC has updated regulations, so carriers can block made up numbers.

Some phone companies are planning to use a brand-new technology called Stir/shaken. It requires calls to have a digital signature making sure the calls that get to you are legitimate.