Sick of getting unsolicited calls from unknown numbers? I think we all are. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), robocalls are the number one complaint by far.1 While the robocalls crisis will never be totally fixed, fortunately there are multiple solutions to try and help slow down, if not eliminate, these automated phone calls.
- Don’t answer – or just hang up
The more you engage, your chances of being called again increase. This is partly due to the fact that your engagement shows on their record that they have reached a working line. This evidence of human interaction is what prompts them to keep you on a call list.
- Call-blocking services
Cellular carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile all offer call-blocking services that attempt to reduce the frequency of automated calls. There are also third-party applications that can help to decrease unwanted robocalls such as Nomorobo, RoboKiller, Trucaller, among others.2 According to RoboKiller, 5.3 billion robocalls were made in July of 2019 – an overall total of almost 4,000 calls per second. That’s nearly 22 spam calls for every person.3
- Sign up for the Do Not Call list registry
The FTC has a Do Not Call list that people have the opportunity to register for – both landline and mobile phone compatibility. The one downside to this national registry is that it won’t stop scammers from calling, but rather those equally-as-irritating telemarketing calls. Given that robocalling is already illegal, this means that valid companies who abide by the list will not be contacting you.
- Block unknown numbers manually
Both iOS and Android phones are capable of manually blocking numbers through their settings. One detail to make note of is that it is not yet possible to block calls that are labeled Unknown, No Caller ID or Private.
Sources
1 https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/how-to-stop-robocalls.html?
2 https://www.wired.com/story/stop-robocalls-slow-down-apps-tips-carriers-fcc/
