How to avoid spam calls with this guide

Learning how to avoid spam calls seems to be trending nowadays. People are getting phone calls from people they don’t know, promoting all sorts of products and services. If not, they pose as various government agencies or private companies to fool you into providing sensitive information. Those who haven’t experienced them probably think it’s a minor issue.

Folks who get these types of calls way too many times know their negative impact. They could interrupt you during your break, and now that people work at home, they could disturb you at work. What’s more, it can feel creepy and unsettling to keep being contacted by people you don’t know. Fortunately, there’s a way to stop them.

Before we provide solutions, we will take a closer look at the reasons why spam calls are more common nowadays. Then, we will show you some tips from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on how to handle these annoying calls. Also, we will provide other ways you could keep spam calls away. You might be surprised your phone already has such features!

Why do I get more spam calls nowadays?

Issues regarding spam calls have gotten more ridiculous lately, so it’s no surprise that its namesake came from something silly: a Monty Python comedy sketch.

In 1970, it featured a cafe with a menu that only offered spam. When a waitress read the selection aloud, around 80% of the items were just the Hormel Foods classic over and over!

You had to get past the numerous spam brand choices to find other menu options. Eventually, people referred to junk from numerous email addresses as spam emails.

Sifting through spam messages felt similar to this Monty Python episode, and you had to scroll past walls of junk mail before finding the important ones.

The term is roughly 50 years old, yet we still cannot beat spam calls or emails. Here are the reasons why the situation has gotten out of hand:

• Low costs and high reward – People may blast pre-recorded spam calls onto the public with a little bit of money. There is only a small chance they could get caught, and there is a huge chance for high rewards.
• Overseas calls – You could prevent live sales calls by joining the National Do Not Call Registry. However, it cannot prevent calls from outside the United States.
• Carriers avoid “grey areas” – Contrary to popular belief, Caller ID cannot prevent spam calls either. What’s more, carriers avoid dealing with callers unless they’re sure it’s illegal, so they can avoid getting into trouble.

How do I deal with spam calls?

This doesn’t mean you should just let your home phone ring nonstop. You have several ways of beating spam calls, and here are the following tips provided by the FCC:

• Avoid picking up incoming calls from people not on your contacts list. If you do answer such a call, immediately hang up.
• Note that you can’t easily identify spam calls. It’s hard to trace calls based on the Caller ID. As we said, it’s unreliable nowadays.
• If a prerecorded message tells you to push a button to stop receiving its calls, hang up. Doing that confirms that you’ll be there to answer the phone, so they will more likely call even more frequently.
• If you get a phone call from a government agency or private company, hang up, then look for its contact info online. Reach the firm or agency through those details to confirm that the call came from them. Note that they often send a written statement before calling, especially if they will ask for payment.
• Be careful if the caller is pressuring you to provide info immediately.
• You may install call blocking apps to prevent spam calls further. Be careful when downloading because they may contain a virus.
• Ask your telecom carrier to block spam calls on your behalf.

How do I stop spam callers on my iPhone?

We said that your phone has tools to keep spam calls away, and you can do it on an Apple and Android device. Let’s start with turning on the Silence Unknown Callers setting.

This will block phone numbers not on your contacts list, and unknown numbers will go through if you’ve called or texted it or got the details from an email. Here’s how to activate it:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Go to Phone, and Scroll down and tap Silence Unknown Callers.

If you place an emergency call, your iPhone will disable this feature for the next 24 hours. Make sure you’ve saved every important contact on your iPhone, or they won’t be able to reach you.

Moreover, always keep your iPhone updated. If you’re using an old model, this might be time to get the newest version of the iPhone, ensuring you get the latest features.

Read More: The Release Dates Of The Upcoming Apple Products

How do I stop spam callers on Android?

Android phones can also block unwanted calls by verifying them with Google’s database. Make sure you agree with sending call info to this firm before turning on the feature. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open your Phone app, and tap the three dots to open More Options.
2. Head to Settings.
3. Tap Spam and Call Screen.
4. Tap See caller & spam ID on or off. It’s active by default, though.

You may also turn on the “Filter suspected spam calls” option. You won’t see blocked calls as voicemail notifications or missed calls, but you may check them in the list of filtered calls.

If a certain phone number persists in calling and texting, you may report it as spam. Then, perform the following steps:

1. Open your Phone app.
2. Tap the Recents icon at the bottom. It looks like a clock.
3. Select the call you want to report.
4. Choose Block or Report spam.

Your phone will ask for your confirmation for both options. Select Block or Report Spam again once you’re sure. Note that this feature may not work unless you have Android 6.0 or above.

Final thoughts

Keep your contact details private as much as possible. Have a separate email and phone number for work, and only share that for work-related purposes.

Never give personal contact details unless necessary. This will help you avoid getting unwanted calls and messages from random strangers.

Report unwanted robocalls and messages to the Federal Communications Commission. You may check their website to learn more about blocking spam calls.