Combat Unwanted Spam Calls | Connect Neighbors
If you're receiving a significant number of unwanted calls from spammers and scammers using spoofed numbers, it can be both irritating and disruptive. Here are several strategies to help mitigate this issue:
Do Not Disturb Mode: Use the "Do Not Disturb" feature on your phone. You can set it to only allow calls from your contacts. While this won't stop the calls from coming in, it will prevent them from disturbing you.
Check with Your Service Provider: Some mobile carriers offer spam protection services for free or for a small fee. They might have a service or feature specifically designed to reduce or identify scam calls.
Third-party Apps: There are several apps available that offer spam call protection by identifying and blocking suspicious calls. Some popular options include:
Nomorobo
Hiya
Truecaller
RoboKiller
These apps maintain databases of known spam numbers and use various algorithms to detect and block potential spam calls.
Report to Authorities:
In the U.S., you can report unwanted calls to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov. Also, consider reporting to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). National Do Not Call Registry: If you're in the U.S., add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov). While this might not stop spoofed calls, it should reduce the number of legitimate telemarketing calls you receive.
Avoid Answering Unknown Calls: If you don't recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. Spammers often use auto-dialers that move on to the next number if they don't get an answer.
Be Cautious About Sharing Your Number: Limit the number of online forms or services where you input your phone number. The fewer places your number is listed, the less likely it is to be scraped and used by spammers.
Check Voicemail Promptly: If you are letting unknown calls go to voicemail, be sure to check your messages regularly so that you don’t miss important calls.
Educate Yourself and Others: Familiarize yourself with common phone scams so you can recognize them. Inform older family members or those who might be vulnerable about these scams to ensure they're aware and cautious.
Customize Blocked List: While blocking each number might seem futile because spammers change numbers frequently, some might use the same number repeatedly. Manually blocking persistent spam numbers might provide some relief.
Avoid Interacting with the Caller: If you do answer a suspicious call, don't press any buttons or respond to prompts. Doing so can lead to more spam calls as it confirms to the spammers that your number is active.
Remember, while these steps can help reduce the number of unwanted calls, it's challenging to eliminate them completely due to the ease of number spoofing and the persistence of spammers. However, a combination of the strategies mentioned above can offer a significant reduction in disturbances.
Do Not Disturb Mode: Use the "Do Not Disturb" feature on your phone. You can set it to only allow calls from your contacts. While this won't stop the calls from coming in, it will prevent them from disturbing you.
Check with Your Service Provider: Some mobile carriers offer spam protection services for free or for a small fee. They might have a service or feature specifically designed to reduce or identify scam calls.
Third-party Apps: There are several apps available that offer spam call protection by identifying and blocking suspicious calls. Some popular options include:
Nomorobo
Hiya
Truecaller
RoboKiller
These apps maintain databases of known spam numbers and use various algorithms to detect and block potential spam calls.
Report to Authorities:
In the U.S., you can report unwanted calls to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov. Also, consider reporting to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). National Do Not Call Registry: If you're in the U.S., add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov). While this might not stop spoofed calls, it should reduce the number of legitimate telemarketing calls you receive.
Avoid Answering Unknown Calls: If you don't recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. Spammers often use auto-dialers that move on to the next number if they don't get an answer.
Be Cautious About Sharing Your Number: Limit the number of online forms or services where you input your phone number. The fewer places your number is listed, the less likely it is to be scraped and used by spammers.
Check Voicemail Promptly: If you are letting unknown calls go to voicemail, be sure to check your messages regularly so that you don’t miss important calls.
Educate Yourself and Others: Familiarize yourself with common phone scams so you can recognize them. Inform older family members or those who might be vulnerable about these scams to ensure they're aware and cautious.
Customize Blocked List: While blocking each number might seem futile because spammers change numbers frequently, some might use the same number repeatedly. Manually blocking persistent spam numbers might provide some relief.
Avoid Interacting with the Caller: If you do answer a suspicious call, don't press any buttons or respond to prompts. Doing so can lead to more spam calls as it confirms to the spammers that your number is active.
Remember, while these steps can help reduce the number of unwanted calls, it's challenging to eliminate them completely due to the ease of number spoofing and the persistence of spammers. However, a combination of the strategies mentioned above can offer a significant reduction in disturbances.
