How to Protect Your Phone from Spam Calls

A Guide to Recognizing and Blocking Spam Calls

Receiving spam calls is a growing nuisance that disrupts your daily life, exposes you to scams, and can compromise your privacy. Whether it’s robocalls, telemarketers, or fraud attempts, unwanted calls can be frustrating. Fortunately, there are effective ways to recognize and block spam calls on your mobile phone. This guide will walk you through how to protect your phone from spam calls and how to block them using built-in features and third-party tools.

1. What Are Spam Calls?
Spam calls are unsolicited calls made by telemarketers, scammers, or robocall systems that often seek to sell you something, collect personal information, or trick you into falling for a scam. Spam calls may also include robocalls—automated calls with recorded messages—phishing attempts, and fraudulent schemes designed to steal your personal data or financial information.

Common types of spam calls include:
– Telemarketing: Sales calls trying to sell you a product or service.
– Robocalls: Automated calls from machines that may advertise services or carry out scams.
– Phishing Calls: Fraudsters trying to trick you into revealing sensitive personal information.
– IRS or Government Scams: Callers claiming to be from government agencies demanding payment.

2. How to Recognize Spam Calls
While spam calls can vary in their content and tactics, there are some common signs that can help you identify them:

– Unknown Numbers: Calls from unrecognized or international numbers, especially if you are not expecting a call.
– Caller ID Spoofing: Some spam calls may appear as if they are coming from a local or familiar number, but they are not. This tactic is known as spoofing.
– Robotic Voice: If you answer the phone and hear a pre-recorded, robotic message, it’s likely a robocall.
– Urgent or Threatening Language: Calls that use scare tactics, such as claiming your bank account is compromised or that you owe money to the government.
– Unsolicited Offers: Calls offering you prizes, sweepstakes winnings, or claiming you’ve been pre-approved for loans you never applied for.

3. Steps to Block Spam Calls
Thankfully, there are numerous ways to block spam calls, depending on your phone model and operating system. Follow these tips to stop the flood of unwanted calls.

Block Spam Calls on iPhone
– Use iOS Built-in Features:
1. Silence Unknown Callers: Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. This will silence calls from unknown numbers, sending them directly to voicemail.
2. Manually Block Numbers: If you’ve identified a spam number, you can manually block it by going to Recent Calls, selecting the info button next to the number, and tapping Block this Caller.

– Enable “Do Not Disturb” Mode: Set your iPhone to Do Not Disturb, allowing calls only from your contacts to get through. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb to customize this feature.

Block Spam Calls on Android
– Use Android’s Native Call Blocking:
1. Open the Phone app, go to Recent Calls, select the spam number, and tap Block or Report as Spam.
2. Use Google’s Caller ID & Spam feature to detect potential spam calls. Go to Phone app > Settings > Caller ID & Spam, and toggle on Filter spam calls.

– Enable “Do Not Disturb” Mode: Similar to iPhone, you can activate Do Not Disturb mode to limit calls to those from your contact list. Go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb.

Use Third-Party Call Blocking Apps
For more robust protection, consider downloading third-party apps specifically designed to block spam calls. These apps maintain large databases of known spam numbers and automatically block them for you.

– Hiya: This app offers real-time spam call detection and allows you to block specific numbers or entire area codes.
– Truecaller: Truecaller identifies unknown calls, blocks spam calls, and provides a caller ID feature.
– RoboKiller: RoboKiller not only blocks spam calls but also uses “Answer Bots” to waste the spammers’ time by playing pre-recorded responses.
– Nomorobo: A highly-rated app that automatically blocks robocalls and telemarketers.

4. Register with the Do Not Call List
Australia and many other countries have a Do Not Call registry that allows you to register your phone number to prevent telemarketers from calling you. In Australia, you can register your number with the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) Do Not Call Register.

1. Visit the [Do Not Call Register website](https://www.donotcall.gov.au).
2. Register your phone number for free.
3. Telemarketers are legally prohibited from calling you once your number is on this list, although it may take up to 30 days to take full effect.

5. Report Spam Calls
Reporting spam calls to your mobile carrier or government regulatory agencies can help combat spam activity. Most mobile providers offer ways to report spam numbers:

– Telstra Call Report: Telstra allows users to report spam numbers by forwarding them to a designated spam number or using its mobile app.
– Optus Spam Reporting: Optus provides a spam reporting service through SMS or its official app.
– ACMA: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) allows individuals to report spam and scam calls. You can visit the ACMA website to lodge a complaint.

6. Avoiding Future Spam Calls
To minimize future spam calls, consider these additional steps:

– Don’t Answer Unknown Numbers: Avoid answering calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Let them go to voicemail and screen them later.
– Be Cautious with Personal Information: Never provide sensitive personal information over the phone, especially to unsolicited callers.
– Watch Out for Call Back Scams: Avoid returning calls to numbers you don’t recognize. Scammers may lure you into calling premium-rate numbers that charge you exorbitant fees.

7. Use Carrier Spam Filtering Services
Most major mobile carriers in Australia offer spam and fraud call filtering services. Some options include:

– Telstra’s “Call Guardian”: Blocks unwanted calls and requires unknown numbers to state their name before connecting.
– Optus Call Protect: Provides automatic blocking for known scam numbers.
– Vodafone Spam Shield: Automatically detects and blocks high-risk spam calls before they reach your phone.

Spam calls are a common and frustrating problem, but by taking proactive steps, you can significantly reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive. By using built-in phone features, downloading trusted call-blocking apps, and registering with the Do Not Call list, you can block and report spam calls efficiently. Stay vigilant, and always be cautious when answering calls from unknown numbers to protect your personal information.

With the right tools and habits, you can take control of your phone and avoid falling victim to spam or scam calls.
This blog provides practical solutions for recognizing, blocking, and reporting spam calls on both iPhones and Android devices, using native features, third-party apps, and carrier services.