How to stop automatic calls and block numbers forever

"Hello! Please don't hang up... did you know that you can save the package for...” This is a robot, another automated telemarketing tool. Currently, robocalls make up 50 percent of all phone calls. In 2018 alone, robot spammers dialed us 26,3 billion times. And it will only get worse: robocalls will become even more common in the coming years.

Фото: Depositphotos

It's time to end this forever. Fortunately, at your disposal a whole arsenal of tools in the smartphone. You block numbers, enable Do Not Disturb, use the tools of your service provider, or use third-party applications to end this telephone epidemic.

Here are seven pointers to minimize or eliminate these unwanted calls.

1. Reject anonymous calls automatically

Many robotic calls are considered “anonymous” on your caller ID, while most companies and people act as identifiable telephone numbers. Most likely, you can do away with all anonymous calls without missing anything important.

Depending on your carrier, you may have access to reject an anonymous call on a landline phone. Make sure your caller ID is activated. Enter the magic number * 77, and you will hear three beeps. Hang up and any call that hides your number will be rejected.

This service is operator dependent, and some operators charge extra. But it is a useful tool against fraudsters or robotic surgeons who slip through the Do Not Call registry.

Note. In some jurisdictions, dialing * 77 on your mobile phone may link you to law enforcement.

2. Join the national registry

Millions of people rejoiced when the FTC created the National Do Not Call Registry—and in an ideal world, the registration would prevent telemarketers from calling you. Technically, telemarketers are prohibited from calling you if you are on this list.

But the world is not perfect. Fraudsters do not follow the rules and do not care about this list. It is still reasonable to register your number as an additional level of protection against unwanted calls. Just go to donotcall.gov and enter the desired landline or mobile number in the list.

You can also call 1-888-382-1222 from any phone you want to see in the list. That's all you need, and the number remains on the list until you ask for it to be removed or leave the number.

Once you sign up, a Do Not Call list will remove you from the commercial business call lists, but not immediately. Telemarketers update their listings only periodically, so the FTC states that it may take up to 31 day.

In addition, political organizations, charities, and survey respondents are still allowed to call you. Companies from which you bought something or made a payment for the last 18 months are also entitled to call you. However, when they call, tell them firmly to exclude you from your list, and they must fulfill your request, although they may still try to convince you to reconsider.

3. Use operator tools to block unwanted calls

The four main operators have the tools to identify, filter and prevent calls or send messages from suspicious numbers to your phone. Most require an additional monthly fee for activating the Caller ID service, but blocking at the network level is free for all operators.

AT&T

AT&T subscribers can use a free iOS and Android app called AT&T Call Protect. It has automatic blocking of fraud and suspected spam. You can manually block unwanted calls.

Verizon

Verizon recently announced a free call blocking service that will debut in March. Verizon had previously offered Caller Filter for $ 2,99 per month per line.

Verizon has also identified 300 millions of spam and scam phone numbers that it will block using free spam and call blocking tools, which will also appear in March.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile offers two free ways to deal with robots and spam calls.

First, Scam ID, an automatic system that identifies spam numbers when your phone rings. T-Mobile automatically does this on its network, and there is no installation application or service to enable.

The second free method is Scam Block. Unlike Scam ID, which simply identifies known spam numbers, Scam Block gives you the ability to block those numbers. To enable this, dial #662# on your T-Mobile handset. To turn it off, dial #632#.

Like the Verizon Caller Name ID, T-Mobile has its own paid Name Name service, which identifies and provides information about the caller, such as name, location, and organization type. You can block them as needed. This is part of the T-Mobile ONE Plus plans. For other T-Mobile tariff plans, it costs 4 dollars per month per line.

Sprint

Sprint customers can subscribe to the Premium Caller ID service to protect themselves from robocalls and caller ID spoofers.

This service costs $ 2,99 per month and provides a threat level indicator to give customers an idea of ​​how suspicious a call is. This is achieved by marking calls with real-time data trends collected in the USA.

This service does not automatically block spam calls. Depending on the threat level, you can answer the call, block the number, or report it to prevent future calls.

4. Use the best applications to block spam calls

Another way to stop nuisance calls on your smartphone is through call blocking apps. These applications can detect who is calling you and block unwanted calls that appear in the list of spam and robocallers.

Фото: Depositphotos

Here are the main call blocking applications:

Nomorobo

Nomorobo is an iOS and Android app that provides real-time protection against an ever-growing list of robots, telemarketers, and scammers.

Nomorobo allows the phone to call once, and then tries to determine who is calling. If the number is in the list of robocollers, the application will automatically block the call for you.

Nomorobo is free to use for 30 days and then costs $1,99 per month or $19,99 for an entire year. To register, you will need to provide Nomorobo with information. Enter your phone type - cordless or landline - and select your carrier. Note: Not all major cell phone carriers support Nomorobo.

TrueCaller

The Truecaller app for iOS and Android allows you to find out who is behind this unknown number. Copy and paste the number into the search bar of the application. Truecaller will look for an unknown number to find out who it is. With a list of community spam from more than 250 millions of users, this is an excellent resource to avoid answering an unwanted call.

Another great feature of Truecaller is its ability to block spam calls. When that annoying telemarketer calls, there's a big red warning message letting you know it's a spam call. Simply swipe up when this happens to automatically block that caller and add them to your spam list.

The Truecaller app is free to download and use. However, there is a professional version that you can buy in the app for $ 1,99 per month.

Hiya - Caller ID & Block

Hiya - Caller ID & Block app is perfect for identifying calls you want to accept and blocking calls and texts you want to avoid. The Hiya app is available for free on both Apple and Android devices, with no ads, and is easy to use.

Call Control - Call Blocker

Call Control - Call Blocker app automatically blocks spam calls and calls from other numbers you don't want to receive. You can block entire area codes (like 888) if you're receiving tons of calls you don't want coming from a specific location. The Call Control application is free and available for both Apple and Android gadgets.

Call Control automatically blocks active spammers, and a reverse search allows you to track their source. You can add numbers to the community blacklist and block certain numbers that will not leave you alone.

5. Some phones block Robocalls automatically

Did you know that some smartphones already have built-in protection against spam and robocollers? The flagship smartphones Samsung Galaxy and Note have a built-in Smart Call feature that automatically displays and notes suspicious numbers.

Google’s Android smartphones, such as Pixels, as well as the old Nexus and Android One, have built-in spam protection. With this feature, users with a caller ID enabled will receive a warning if they receive a suspicious spam call or robocall.

In addition to ignoring the call, the user can either block the number or add it to the white list, if spam marking is considered an error. Any blocked number can be unblocked at any time. The ability to report a call to Google is available.

6. Block individual phone numbers

Here's a feature that's available on every iPhone and Android—the ability to block specific numbers. While this may not stop all spammer calls, you can at least block duplicate ones.

iPhone

On iPhone, open the Phone app, go to the Recent tab, and then tap the round info icon to the right of the number you want to block. On the next page, click "Block this subscriber" to add this number to the block list.

Android

On Android, you can also open the Phone app, go to the Recent section, make a long press on the suspicious number, and select Block / Report Spam. (This may vary depending on the manufacturer and model of your Android phone.)

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