Hello readers! Getting spam calls on your phone has become a common nuisance these days. Whether you are working at your office desk, watching a movie in the theatre, or having a good time with your friends, a spam call may ruin your mood. These spam calls often offer you a credit card, loan, or other promising investment returns. You may disconnect the call, but another unknown number rings later. And the cycle goes on and on.
Sounds annoying, right?
Spam calls waste your valuable time, interrupt your day, or may sometimes expose you to some financial scams.
Unwanted calls might become a privacy concern if attackers try to gather personal details. This is why you should know about Digital Spying: Risks Facing Journalists and Dissidents.
This is precisely the reason why it is critical to understand how to stop spam calls.
Of course, you can stop all those annoying spam calls in order to minimize the interruptions and protect yourself from possible scams.
Why Do You Receive Spam Calls?
Indeed, there are situations when spammers and telemarketers obtain your phone number via marketing databases, online registration, leaks of your information, or third-party information exchange. Sometimes, scammers even use automated dialing services and call several thousand numbers at once.
Having identified an active phone number, spammers may call you or give it away to other marketing networks.
How Do Scammers Make Their Phone Calls Appear Legitimate?
Have you ever had someone call you from a number that looks very similar to your own?
These scammers make the use of ID spoofing feature enabling them to change their phone number shown on your device. This specific method is sometimes accompanied by voice phishing known as vishing. To know more, you can check out this guide on What Is a Vishing Attack, and How AI Is Shaping the Threat.
This is how they make their calls appear genuine and trusted to the users.
They may even claim to be representing some banks, governmental agencies, insurance companies, or big brands.
As per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), many scammers use falsified caller ID information to pretend they represent some legitimate institutions.
How to Block Spam Calls on Your Smartphone?
Most of the smartphones these days come with inbuilt settings, and tools to block spam calls. It does not always require you to install any third-party tools or software for blocking spam calls on your smartphone.
On Android Phones
Most Android smartphones have some type of built-in call-blocking features.
Open your Phone app and find the suspicious number in your call history. Tap on the number, click on its details, and you will find the option to block and report it.
The available blocking and reporting options could be slightly different depending on your phone model.
On iPhones
iPhones also come with similar built-in phone blocking options that you can use for this purpose.
On supported iPhone versions, users can effectively block unknown numbers or simply use call identifiers and filtering features.
Find Silence Unknown Callers in the Settings of your iPhone. Enable this feature to block all potential spam calls.
Once you activate this feature, calls made from unrecognized numbers might not ring but automatically go to your voicemail.
Nonetheless, note that this particular feature might also impact legitimate calls.
This is because someone like a delivery executive, new client, or hospital representative might reach out to you from an unknown number.
In my view, you should check your recent calls and voicemail often if you activate this feature.
How to Block Spam Calls Automatically?
Blocking individual numbers is always an option, but it would be frustrating if scammers keep calling you from different numbers.
So what is the solution to this problem?
Use Your Phone’s Spam Detection Feature
Most smartphones these days spot potential spam calls depending on their spam databases, user reports, and caller identification.
Depending on the phone model and your settings, your phone will show messages like Spam, Suspected Spam, or Scam Likely.
Some phones will also filter out the call or put it in silent mode if it matches the patterns of a spam call.
The benefit of such an approach is clear.
Rather than adding each number to your blacklist, your phone will be able to filter out potential threats without you answering the call.
Yet, not all the calls will be filtered successfully.
Some legitimate calls will still end up being marked as spam.
Install a Call-Blocking Application
Third-party applications might serve as an additional means of protecting yourself from spam calls.
All these tools and applications have their own databases and rely on user reports and other tools to filter potential spam.
Also, some apps feature advanced filtering capabilities, caller identification, and automatic blocking.
Before downloading the app, I would recommend checking its permissions and privacy policy.
Your call-blocking application will probably ask for permission to access your contact list and call history.
Stopping Spam Calls via Your Mobile Operator
Apart from your mobile phone, there are other means as well through which you could address the problem of spam.
There are options in India provided by telecom operators and TRAI to deal with unsolicited commercial communications.
DND in India Registration
In case you are receiving unwanted promotional calls frequently, then it would be better to register yourself under the Do Not Disturb facility.
TRAI provides certain tools for handling unsolicited commercial communication through its DND complaints and preferences facility.
In India, the common DND registration number for mobile phones is 1909.
There is an option to refer to the official website of TRAI for further details regarding DND registration and the complaint process.
Note that DND handles unsolicited commercial communication but not spam calls from fraudsters or scammers.
Report Suspicious Calls Besides Blocking Them
There is something that I feel smartphone users tend to overlook.
Blocking a number helps secure your phone, while reporting an unwanted call could assist telecom operators in investigating the issue.
In case of receiving persistent spam calls, one must report such a matter to the concerned telecom operator or to TRAI's complaints system.
As far as Indian users are concerned, there is the TRAI DND application and the 1909 complaint service available for reporting unwanted commercial communications.
Reporting any suspicious financial fraud must be done separately from such channels.
What to Do If Spam Calls Break Through?
Even with the use of call blocking services, there are times when you receive spam calls from time to time.
I would suggest sticking to a few easy guidelines.
Don’t Pick Up an Unknown Call
In case of repeated calls on your phone from a number that is not familiar to you, do not answer it immediately.
Usually, the true caller leaves you a message or gets in touch with you through other means.
There is no need for you to answer each and every incoming call just because it rings on your mobile phone.
Do Not Reveal Sensitive Information
The caller who claims to be working in your bank, insurance company, or any other government department may request sensitive information from you.
Do not reveal your one-time password (OTP), PIN, password, or any other financial data to the stranger.
These types of scams might come with social engineering, where the scammers may manipulate victims into divulging confidential details. It would be useful for you to explore more on Phishing Types, Red Flags, Use Cases & How to Stay Safe.
Do not fall into the trap of blocking your account and disconnecting the call.
Installation of Too Many Call-Blocking Applications
Additional applications do not always guarantee greater security.
The installation of too many call-blocking applications can cause some privacy issues or resource usage or block legitimate calls.
Pick the best application that suits your needs.
Scam Calls Vs Spam Calls
However, not every unwanted call is a scam call.
This is because some of the calls are from real businessmen who want to sell goods and services, while others try to scam people out of their money, identity, or banking details.
Spammers are also using AI to make their fake communication more convincing. You have the option of reading this blog on The Rise of AI-Powered Phishing Attacks: How to Stay Safe to learn how modern phishing methods function.
It helps if one knows the distinction.
Scam Calls | Spam Calls |
Attempt to defraud or deceive you | Involves unwanted promotion |
Tends to impersonate reliable brands and businesses | Might originate from real businesses |
May cause you identity-related or financial losses | Generally wastes your time |
Blocking and reporting may be necessary | Blocking is enough |
Conclusion
Spamming calls can transform your mobile into an annoying object. But it does not mean that you should put up with all these interruptions or manually block all those hundreds of mysterious numbers.
In my opinion, the best solution is the combination of automatic spam recognition, selective number blocking, services of telecom operators, and responsible spam reporting.
It is necessary to understand that preventing spam calls is not only an opportunity to have peace. It is also an opportunity to protect your attention, privacy, and money from intruders.
Therefore, the next time an unknown number calls you, think twice. Use the features of your smartphone, report the suspicious numbers, and do not disclose your personal data.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. How to prevent spam calls permanently?
The only solution to prevent spam calls is through number blocking/DND facility offered by the telephone service providers.
Q2. Would blocking a spam number save me from spam calls?
Not always, because scammers can change their phone numbers to harass people.
Q3. Is there any free solution to block spam calls?
Yes, most iPhones and Android smartphones come with built-in spam call-blocking features and functionalities.
Q4. Can spammers steal your personal information via spam calls?
This all depends on you. If you do not share your personal data with spammers, then they won’t be able to get your personal details.
Q5. How to report spam calls in India?
You can utilize TRAI's DND service to report spam calls as and when required.