LONDON (AP) — Unsolicited phone calls have become rampant. Be it robocalls aiming to market products to you or spam calls from fraudsters attempting to deceive you, this situation could drive anyone to avoid picking up their telephone altogether. What steps can one take then to prevent these intrusive calls?
Unwanted phone calls have been labeled as an epidemic by consumer organizations, with the Federal Communications Commission stating they constitute their leading consumer grievance. These calls prove bothersome for numerous individuals who have shared their frustrations with The Associated Press.
A reader reached out via email stating, “I require assistance in ending these spam calls.” Despite taking various precautions, she still receives as many as 14 such calls daily.
As suggested by the title, robocalls refer to automated phone calls designed to disseminate pre-recorded messages across numerous devices. According to U.S. rules, robocalls intended solely for delivering information or collecting debts are permissible; however, the Federal Trade Commission states that using a recorded voice to promote sales without prior explicit written consent from recipients is against the law. The FTC further cautions that many such calls could potentially be fraudulent schemes.
If unwanted calls are overwhelming you, here are several methods to combat them.
Phone settings
Smartphone users can turn on some built-in settings to combat unknown calls.
Apple recommends that iPhone users enable the Silence Unknown Callers feature.
feature
Navigate to “Settings,” scroll down until you reach “Apps.” From there, find “Phone” within the settings menu; look for it under the “Calls” category. By enabling this feature, calls coming from unknown numbers—those you haven’t previously contacted or those not listed in your contact book—will bypass ringing directly into your phone. These calls will go straight to voicemail instead and appear among your last dialed contacts.
Android has a similar
setting
that allows you to block calls from private or unidentified numbers, although you will still receive calls from numbers that aren’t stored in your contact list.
Once this article initially appeared, a reader shared a solution to the issue: leave your Android device powered on.
Do Not Disturb
However, set it up so that anybody on your Contact list can interrupt you.
Keep in mind that you might miss out on crucial calls as well, often ones coming from unrecognized numbers.
Should an undesired call manage to come through, users of both Android and iPhones have the option to block the specific telephone number by selecting it from their recent calls or call log. Additionally, you can manually input these numbers into your device’s blocking list.
Do not call
Register with the national Do Not Call list.
registry
This is a compilation of telephone numbers that have chosen to block most telemarketing calls. Managed by the Federal Trade Commission, this database consists solely of phone numbers and does not store any additional personal identifying details. Furthermore, the system doesn’t distinguish between landlines and cellphones.
The FTC indicates that certain exceptions apply, such as political calls, communications from nonprofit organizations, and charitable entities, along with genuine survey groups not engaged in sales. Additionally, businesses can contact individuals for up to 18 months following an interaction or attempt at engagement.
However, it cautions that even though listing your number on the registry will reduce unsolicited sales calls, it won’t prevent scammers from making unlawful contacts.
Other nations also maintain similar registries. In Canada, they have their own Do Not Call list.
list
while the U.K. has the Telephone Preference Service
Service
.
Carrier filters
Verify if your mobile provider offers a call-blocking service.
Verizon
,
T-Mobile
and
AT&T
Three major U.S. networks each offer their own call filtering systems for customers to block robocalls and flag spam. These usually come with both a free standard option and an enhanced version that needs a paid subscription.
Try an app
If you find that your mobile carrier’s filtering options aren’t sufficient, consider using standalone applications to block unwelcome calls.
A variety of smartphone applications claim to prevent spam calls, including Nomorobo, YouMail, Hiya, RoboKiller, and True Caller among others. Several of these services require either a monthly or yearly payment plan; however, certain ones provide limited features at no cost initially. Additionally, some options may extend their functionality to traditional landlines provided they utilize VOIP systems rather than relying on standard copper wiring.
The Associated Press has not conducted tests on any of these applications and is not offering particular endorsements. We suggest that you review user feedback and perhaps test them personally.
Apple states that these applications function by cross-referencing a caller’s phone number against a database of recognized numbers, categorizing them as either spam or telemarketing, for instance. The app may also choose to block such calls automatically. Apple clarifies that “outgoing calls are never forwarded to third-party developers,” according to their statement.
Report calls
Did you know that you can lodge a complaint with the FCC regarding particular spam calls? You can do this effortlessly through their process.
online form
It may not provide instant gratification, but according to the National Consumer Law Center, complaint data is the most effective resource federal agencies have for assessing the scale of the robocall issue.
Just say no
Even though businesses you have conducted transactions with may place automated calls to you, the National Consumer Law Center indicates this likely occurred due to your consent – potentially buried within small print details. However, you retain the right to withdraw your permission whenever desired.
Simply inform the company representative that you wish to “withdraw consent,” and if this does not halt their communication efforts, reach out to customer support and notify them that you do not agree to receiving calls and request for your number to be included in the company’s “do-not-call” registry, according to the center.
Hang up
You may feel inclined to interact with the call in hopes of getting your number removed from the calling list or speaking to a live operator. However, the FTC advises against this approach and suggests simply disconnecting the call instead.
“The act of pressing numbers to connect with an operator or opting out may likely result in receiving additional automated calls,” the authority states on its website.
advice page
“And likely, the number you see on your caller ID isn’t genuine. It’s quite simple for fraudsters to manipulate this information,” it cautions, emphasizing that such data shouldn’t be taken at face value.
The cybersecurity firm Kaspersky recommends remaining silent when you suspect receiving a robocall. It’s common to get fraudulent calls that begin with phrases such as “Hello, can you hear me?” Often, people tend to automatically respond with “yes” before they realize it.
Scammers “can then store the recording of your confirmation and use it for fraudulent activities,” Kaspersky says. “So, avoid saying yes where possible.”
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