Spam calls are becoming a major problem for many folks across the world. In 2021, Americans alone saw a 56% increase in spam calls over the course of the year. From telemarketers to robocalls, these pesky scam attempts have gotten out of control — with the FCC citing them as their top consumer complaint.
Beyond being annoying, spam calls are also a major risk to your privacy and finances. According to Comparitech, Americans lost almost $30 billion to scams via spam calls in 2021.
Luckily, there are a few things — as well as some neat apps — you could do to fight this nasty invasion. First, you should “know thy enemy.”
Identifying a spam call
Let us first understand what we’re fighting here. The following are certain red flags:
- A prerecorded message or robotic-sounding (computer-generated) voice
- A claim that you’ve been “specially selected”
- Limited-time and special discount offers – which tend to be available year round
- Over the phone payment requests
- Further information is seldom available, and the same goes for answers to your questions
- Winning a sweepstakes or contest – they call to congratulate you and follow-up with a special offer selected just for the winner
- Threatening language – you will lose a lot if you miss this opportunity
- A request to confirm your personal information
- A claim that your device has been infected by a virus – and that you need to act now
Any of these signs is enough for you to hang up immediately without providing any information whatsoever. The moment you say “yes” to anything will mean they will repeat the call again until you agree to buy something.
Fighting back
As noted above, responding incorrectly to a spam call could land you in hot water. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Do NOT answer any calls from unknown numbers — even if it’s a local number
- If you answer, do NOT respond to questions requiring simple “Yes” or “No” answers (hang up, instead)
- If you answer and hear a response along the lines of “Hello? Can you hear me?” hang up immediately (do NOT respond)
- Never press any buttons, even if instructed to
Also, you should add your phone number to the National Do Not Call registry by visiting DoNotCall.gov. This list is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and is free to use.
There’s an app for that – a call-screening tool
Mobile app developers and carriers have figured out that most users don’t like spam calls (to say the least) and so they’ve created tools to help everyone fight back. These tools come in the form of call-screening apps that will help you detect spam calls before answering the phone.
Most mobile operators offer phone-screening services that could help you reduce the amount of spam calls you receive. AT&T’s has Digital Call Protect, Verizon – Call Filter and T-Mobile’s service is called Scam Shield. Other carriers have something similar, but there are also apps you could install on just about any operator:
Hiya
This phone screening app offers spam detection that makes it easy to filter out unwanted calls. Hiya also has a premium option that comes with advanced features, such as reverse lookup and spam blocking. It is available for the iPhone as well as Android.
Truecaller
Another popular app, Truecaller auto-blocks spam calls and texts, and even offers community-based spam reporting to help protect others from scams, telemarketers, fraud, and more. It too works with the iPhone and Android.
Nomorobo
Which stands for “NO MOre ROBO calls,” it is a great option to put an end to annoying spam calls. Nomorobo is easy to use, and will block spam calls and texts on the iPhone and (again) Android devices.
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Although the title of this article is to prevent spam calls on iPhone, all these tools — including those provided by your operator — will also work with Android phones. If you do want to stop spam calls, now you know what needs to be done. Luckily, no big effort is required on your part and before you know it – you’ll be as free of robo/spam calls as possible. Good luck! 😉