How to stop spam calls on your phone – Guide
There are a few ways to avoid spam calls and other frustrating telemarketing calls. One way is to be aware of the types of calls that can be frustrating. For example, spam calls may be from companies that you do not recognize, or from people who are trying to sell you something that you do not want. Another way to avoid frustrating telemarketing calls is to have a busy day or anticipate important phone calls ahead of time. If you have a busy day, then you can try to schedule telemarketing call times in advance so that they will not bother you when you are already working. If you anticipate important phone calls, then you can try to block out specific time periods so that the telemarketing call will not bother you.
If you’ve received calls from people pretending to be from your bank or card company, it’s important to remember that these calls are not always legitimate. Sometimes the caller may want to help you with a problem that you’re having with your account or card, but other times the caller may just want to scam you. If you don’t feel comfortable answering any questions or giving away your personal information, don’t give them the satisfaction of being able to scam you.
Option A: Block individual numbers one by one
This article is about how to completely eliminate automatic calling on your iPhone or Android phone. If you have a specific number that keeps calling, it’s easy to block it permanently.
On iOS, just go to the Phone app, then under Recents, tap the blue info icon to the right of the number you want to block and select “Block this caller”.
To block a number on your Android phone, go to the Recents section and press and hold the number. Then choose “Block.” ..
This is a difficult task, as spammers are very good at disguising their calls as those of friends or family. To keep them out, you will need to be very diligent in your blocking and private callers habits.
Option B: Trust (or pay) your carrier to protect you
Most mobile providers have taken steps to insert themselves as a barrier between you and these annoying callers. They’ve done this through behind-the-scenes network improvements, including the SHAKEN / STIR technology that has started to enable carriers to verify when a call is legitimate and eliminate the many spoofed numbers you’re likely receiving from your local area code. In reality, these calls probably come from all over the world, but it’s easy for robocallers to impersonate local numbers.
The major US carriers offer spam blocking services that are free to their customers.
AT&T has a free service, Call Protect, that helps block fraudulent automated calls and spam risks before they reach you. You don’t have to do anything; Call Protect will automatically install on your phone. When you receive a call from a telemarketer, Call Protect will display a “nuisance warning” so you can decide whether to answer or not. You can also permanently block callers from your list. ..
There is a Call Protect Plus service that offers caller ID, reverse number lookup, and the ability to block or send calls to voicemail by category. This added feature costs $3.99 a month, but the main Call Protect service is free as part of their plan.
Protect is a phone service that also offers prepaid customers the option to have it available to them if they have an AT&T HD Voice phone.
T-Mobile is introducing a new app called the Scam Shield. The app bundles all of T-Mobile’s various tools to help you configure the level of protection that’s right for you. By default, suspicious calls are always flagged and can be blocked if needed. Fraud Block will prevent many of them from calling your phone, while Caller ID service often shows you the information of who’s calling you, even if they’re not in your contacts. ..
You can always activate the Cheat Blocker without the Scam Shield app. To do this, dial #662# from your T-Mobile phone. To disable it, just dial #632#. ..
T-Mobile is offering a scam shield that goes beyond just blocking bad calls. You can also request a secondary “proxy” number that can be used in cases where you don’t want to share your private number phone number. And if you find yourself desperately inundated, T-Mobile will allow you to change your real number once a year for free.
For an additional $4 per month per line, you can upgrade to Scam Shield Premium, which lets you “send entire categories of unwanted automated calls directly to voicemail, like telemarketers; create ‘always block’ lists; and get voicemail to text for instant access to your voicemails. ” (Customers with Magenta Max plans get Scam Shield Premium for free.)
Verizon’s Call Filter service, which is free for postpaid lines, allows customers to “receive alerts when a call is likely to be spam, report unsolicited numbers, and automatically block automated calls based on your preferred risk level.”
You can block up to five phone numbers from contacting you for free. However, blocks expire after 90 days and are not very useful against robocallers with numbers that change every day. ..
You can get more features, like the ability to create a personal block list, for $2.99 a month per line. The Verizon Smart Family plan offers features, including parental controls and the ability to permanently block up to ten numbers, for $4.99 a month.
Option C: Protect Yourself with Third-Party Applications
Nomorobo, RoboKiller and Hiya are services that prevent automated calls from ringing your phone. They require a monthly or yearly subscription, and at their core, these services rely on a constantly updated list of robocallers, spammers and fraudsters. If a call comes in and the service finds a match, the incoming call will be ended before reaching you.
They allow you to maintain your own blacklist of numbers that may be bothering you and put those you want to access on it. Some work by downloading a dedicated contact list – separate from your regular contacts – to your phone. But both iOS and Android have recently given these services more leeway to take control of their phone app and preventing idiots from getting to you. On iPhone, you’ll have to enable them in the Settings app and give them Caller ID permissions before they can start working.
Option D: depends on your Mobile OS to protect you
Many Android phones have built-in options to flag spam calls. If you have a Google Pixel device, the entire screen will turn red when a spammer calls you, which is an easy way to ignore the call if you’re across the room. No Pixel phones, you can also tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the Phone app and go to Settings > Caller ID & Spam; from others phones will have similar features. ..
iOS 13 introduced a new app called Silence Unknown Caller, which blocks all callers who aren’t in your contact list, haven’t been in contact, or haven’t sent text messages. Instead, these calls will go straight to voicemail. You can enable it by selecting Settings> Phone > Mute unknown callers.
Final note
How to stop spam calls on your phone This guide will show you how to stop spam calls on your phone. If you have any query about this article, please ask us. Additionally, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends.
