Your phone buzzes and you see a number you don’t recognize. Then you get a bogus voicemail saying you owe the IRS money or that your car warranty is about to expire. Sound familiar?
It’s a robocall, and if you’re like many Americans, you get far too many. These calls are not only annoying to receive but also challenging to spot. Some now involve sophisticated techniques such as neighborhood spoofing, which uses fake phone numbers with your area code to make you think the call is legitimate.
Fortunately, there are some simple ways to stop robocalls from interrupting your life. Here are a few to try:
**Add your number to the Do Not Call list
Joining the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry will inform telemarketers that you want to be left alone. You can add your number by visiting donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to add. It could take about a month for the calls to stop.
**Use your phone’s built-in weapons
iPhone: The Silence Unknown Callers option allows you to send spam straight to voicemail without your phone ringing. You’ll only receive calls from people in your contacts and those you’ve called or texted. To enable it, go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.
If you’d rather not silence all unknown calls, you can block individual numbers that are scams. Open your Phone app and tap Recents. Then tap the circled “i” next to the number and tap Block this Caller.
Android: If you have a Google Pixel™, you can automatically screen suspected spam calls. Open your Phone app, tap the three dots in the top right corner, tap Settings, and tap Spam and Call Screen. Make sure See caller and spam ID is turned on, then tap Call Screen. Choose each type of call you want to filter and select “Automatically screen. Decline robocalls.”
Many phones also come with automatic spam detection that alerts you to possible robocalls and gives you the option to easily block or report the number.
To block individual numbers, open your Phone app, tap Recents and tap the icon next to the number. Then tap the three dots in the top right corner and tap Block numbers > Block. This should work for most Android devices.
For Samsung® devices, open your Phone app and tap Recents. Then tap the number, followed by the circled “i” underneath. Finally, tap Block at the bottom of the screen.
**Download a spam-fighting app
For Verizon Users: There are a number of programs to choose from, but Verizon® Protect subscribers have access to Call Filter Plus, a premium app that can screen numbers, block robocalls, identify their risk level, allow you to create custom spam lists, and more. If you don’t have Verizon Protect, Call Filter Plus is available as a paid stand-alone app. There’s also a free version, Verizon Call Filter, that offers basic call-blocking.
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