Federal Communications Commission has invigorated its policies around robocalls and spam calls, but it is still on you to stop these problems.
It does not matter which mobile phone you have, Android or iPhone; methods in this blog will help you stop or block the robocalls or spam calls.
Approx 46% American says that they receive spam calls or robocalls on their mobile phone every day according to the Insider Survey in February 2021.
How to Stop Robocalls and Protect Against Spam?
You should not pick up the calls from unknown numbers and unrecognized numbers. When you answer the robocalls or spam calls, it will confirm that your number is accurate, and then in the result, you will get more robocalls, so you should not receive the robocalls. In case you received it accidentally, you should hang up as soon as possible.
You should never give your personal information. You should not give your social security number, bank account number, passcode, and any other information even when the caller says they are from a government authorized company or some trusted agencies.
Block Individual Numbers on Android
When you want to block a number on your Android phone, then you should tap and hold that number from your recent call list till the menu does not display on your screen, and when the menu displays after that, you can choose the variation of “Block” or “Block/Report Spam” is available.
Any Android phone with 11 updates now can differentiate the robocalls or spam calls from the real ones because they have access to expand the robocalls identification and prevention from the call-screening app.
Block Specific Number at your iPhone
When you want to block a phone number on your iPhone, you should locate that number from your Phone App Recent call lists; after that, you should tap the “i” icon from the right side of the number, and now you can choose “Block Contact” from the options list.
Use Do Not Disturb on iPhone.
There is one more good option of defense in your iPhone that is “Do Not Disturb” mode, and when you enable it on your phone, your phone will not ring, or it may notify you about the incoming calls, and it will work especially for those whom you specify.
You should click on the “Do Not Disturb” option from the Settings, and then you should tap the feature’s toggle to turn it green. After that, you should choose “All Contacts” in the “Allow Calls From” to make sure no unknown numbers get through.
Let your Phone Carrier Block Spam Calls
Most mobile phone carriers have several free or low-cost tools that help protect you from spam and automatically block robocalls.
AT&T: When you use the Call Protect app, then it will block both the fraud calls and the potential spam, whereas it will offer trouble warning labels. When you use it, then at that time, you can also access the call block list, and you will be able to block any unknown number call.
Sprint/T-Mobile: Now T-Mobile owns Sprint, and it offers a Scam Shield which provides a free service to block any number when it detects that the mobile carrier is in trouble. It would be best if you dialed #ONB# (#662#) from your phone when you want to turn it on, or you can download it from the app store.
Verizon: When you use Call Filter, then it will provide spam detection and filtration, block call log, and you also able to report a spam call. Its premium version is free for its customers, and when you use Call Filter Plus, it will charge just $2.99 each month for a single line and $7.99 a month for three or more lines.
When your carrier is not listed above, you should call their customer service number to figure out which spam blocking and robocalls they have available.
Join the National Do Not Call Registry
In this, the National Do Not Call Registry takes you away from that list which the telemarketers use for their mass calls.
When you join it, then it will not stop debt collectors, charities, political groups, and surveys from contacting you, but yes, it will reduce the number of spam calls at your numbers, and it will allow you to report the unwanted spam calls to the Federal Trade Commission.
You can call 1-888-382-1222 (voice) or 1-866-290-4236 (TTY) when you want to register your number at the Do Not Call list at no cost, and you can also register online by following these steps:
Firstly you should go to the DoNotCall.gov, and then you can hit the “Register” link.
In the next step, you can enter your mobile number without any hyphens and confirm your email address.
In the next step, you should go to your email address and then find an email from Register@donotcall.gov within 72 hours from your registration.
At last, you should follow those steps which are mentioned in the email.
Download a Third-Party Robocalls Blocker
There is another way to stop the robocalls, or spam calls that you should download the call blocking app and then this app intercept and then answer the call for you. Many of these apps actively collect data on spammer, and then it will block that spam call permanently when it is identified; that means when you are using a robocall blocking app, that does not mean you are just helping yourself, but you are also helping other callers.
Daisy Martin is a qualified IT engineer by education. After working in the IT sector for a decade, she began writing about it two years ago. She loves to write about emerging technology like office.com/setup or bitdefender login
Comments