Even if you don’t give out your number usually, it is enough to register in some online store to become a victim of spam calls.
Although absolute protection against spam calls does not yet exist, there are several life hacks. For example, services like free-lookup.net that can identify the caller. These hacks can help filter the flow of incoming calls.
Hackers attack the telephone bases of companies and mobile operators. Unscrupulous employees of organizations sometimes do not hesitate to sell confidential information themselves.
Besides intrusive beauty salons and credit organizations, spammers can turn out to be scammers. Recently, a scheme has appeared when callers introduce themselves as bank employees. They report that a transfer was allegedly made from your card, trying to find out information for withdrawing money from the account.
Spammers work seven days a week, and callers may be in other time zones. Find out the methods to stop them.
Lower the Number of Spam Calls
Before finding how to stop spam calls, it is better to prevent their existence.
To prevent spam, it is worth taking into account the following tips:
- When registering on websites or making a subscription, state your phone number only if absolutely necessary. If it is possible – limit yourself to specifying an email.
- Carefully study the user agreements on different sites, they state how they will use your data.
- Do not follow suspicious links that come via SMS from unfamiliar numbers.
These simple steps will help you. Yet, there are cases when the prevention is not enough.
Categories of Spammers
Who bothers with spam most often? Let’s list the three main categories.
Scammers
They are posing as other people (banks, law enforcement agencies or hospitals) with malicious intent. And usually attempt to get your secret banking information or to force you to perform certain actions. They are often quite familiar with the methods of social engineering and sound convincing enough. And thus represent a real danger to older people or simply gullible.
Advertising robots
Pre-recorded messaging dialers: When you pick up the phone, an advertisement will be immediately played to you. There are quite creative examples. For example, a robot from one of the jewelry chains speaks in the voices of pop stars and invites you to sales on their behalf.
Recently, many companies have started using AI-powered chatbots. Yet, if you click on the end call, most likely, there will not be a second call.
Call center operators
Actual people calling the contact base to sell any services or goods. Unlike robots, they are quite intrusive and, if it is uncomfortable to talk, they will try to contact you on another day. Many companies buy databases illegally. But among the spammers there may be those to whom you have given consent to the use of personal data. For example, your provider may persistently offer to switch to a new tariff or activate more services.
How to Stop Unwanted Calls on Cell Phone
There are several methods of lowering the incoming spam.
1. Mute all unknown calls
You can configure this feature in your phone.
On iPhone you have to select: “Settings” – “Phone” – “Mute unknowns”.
On Android the path is the following: “Settings” – “Phone” – “Blocking numbers” – “Blocking unknown subscribers”.
You will see the missed calls and will be able to call you back if you realize that you need to. The inconvenience is that you can skip the desired call, and if the call was from a multichannel phone, it is difficult to call back.
2. See who called
There are websites and apps that can help you figure out which company they called you from. For example, Numbuster. This program has its own extensive blacklist, which is constantly updated. It has an effective free identifier of an incoming call from an unfamiliar phone. For an extra fee you can see how the others wrote down the number. But be careful with using some of the apps that can steal your personal data. Make sure to use any of the best proxy services to not attract even more spam.
3. Mobile applications
Kaspersky Who Calls app – automatically blocks advertising calls. There is a database of unwanted contacts, the service blocks them, but you will see rejected calls. Other unknown numbers will be clearly identified, you will see the contact details. Truecaller is an alternative app, where users create a database of spam numbers. The application has a paid (extended) and a free version. The basic function – determining the spam number – is available for free.
4. Call forwarding to voicemail
When another spammer calls you, find his number in the call log, select “Settings” – “Call forwarding to voicemail”. If they stumble upon voicemail a few times, they will most likely give up trying to contact you.