Life is busy enough without wasting time on spammers, scammers, and telemarketers. Whether you’re suffering from stressing personal injury attorneys, fraudulent car warranty reps, or an old friend who calls drunk, there’s a way to stop the endless calls and messages. Major service providers and phone manufacturers have stepped up their game against unwanted calls and messages in recent years, so let’s take a look at how you can effectively block them.
We also have guidelines how to avoid spam and additional contact information, protect against smishing attacksand avoid phishing scams. Confused by the whole situation and wondering why no one has been able to stop spam calls? Check out WIRED senior reporter Lily Hay Newman’s article on our eternal robocall hell.
What to Consider
Before diving into prevention options, there are a few things to know:
- If possible, do not answer any calls from numbers you do not recognize. Callers who have something important to say can leave a message anyway. Sadly, this won’t work for people with businesses or interests that involve a lot of calls from unknown numbers.
- Never click on a link or attachment in a spam text message because it can lead to malware. If possible, avoid opening them completely.
- Never reply to spam text messages, as this will confirm that your number is valid.
- If you are concerned that the call or message may be from a legitimate company, try typing the number into your favorite search engine. While it can be difficult to verify a fraudulent number, it is easy to verify a legitimate number. If you can’t find anything in the code, be cautious and ignore it. We will explain how to block numbers, but it is also important to report unwanted calls and messages. If it’s telemarketing, fraud, or spam, you can report to the FTC here. You can also add your number to the Do Not Call Register, although it only works for sales calls from reputable companies. Sadly, many organizations and scammers ignore it. We’ll cover how to report code to manufacturers, service providers, and third parties below. The more people do this, the easier it is to identify and voluntarily block or tag nuisance numbers.
How to block calls and texts on iPhone
Apple via Simon Hill
It’s easy to block private numbers on your iPhone. Here’s how:
