Robocalls and spam calls are one of today’s most pervasive issues, and they affect anyone who has a phone. The FCC lists unwanted calls as their most common complaint annually, and luckily our software is advancing in an attempt to meet this threat and get ahead of it.
Despite the array of software and policy changes implemented in the last few years, unwanted calls are still a big issue affecting almost everyone.
Here are a few ways you can take action and fight these unwanted calls.
Do Not Pick Up Your Cell Phone
Sometimes all you need to do to stop unwanted calls is ignore them. These annoying callers aren’t always persistent, and ignoring them hints that you aren’t available to talk to them.
Letting your phone go to voicemail is especially effective with real-life callers since a real person is more likely to understand when to give it a rest and stop calling you. Unfortunately, many of the unwanted calls people receive in the modern era are robocalls, meaning that the calls aren’t likely to stop independently.
Block The Caller
Once you identify someone as a spam caller, the simplest and most effective solution is to block that caller. Modern Android and Apple devices both allow you to block specific numbers easily.
Usually, you can access this feature by selecting the number from your call history and indicating that you want to block them. In most cases, this creates a log of all blocked numbers, which you can return to if you need to unblock a number for any reason.
This method is very effective when you receive an unwanted call from the same person more than once. Still, it only blocks that individual, which can become tedious if you block numbers regularly due to an uptick of robocalls.
Dispose Of Your Caller Id Number
When making a call, you can type *67 before the number you want to dial, and your number won’t show up on the receiving party’s caller ID. This is a great tool for people who want to stay anonymous, and a great perk is that it keeps businesses from getting access to your phone number.
Suppose you’re worried about calling someone you don’t want to get a call back from; just hide your phone number and let that worry end there. This won’t block future unwanted callers from reaching you, but it will help you maintain your anonymity.
Sign up for the FTCs Do Not Call List
By signing up for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) National Do Not Call List, you can protect yourself from telemarketers and prevent sales companies from contacting around the nation contacting your number.
All you must do is register your number online or call 1-888-382-1222 from the number in the question and register there. While it could take up to a month for businesses to update their Do Not Call registry records, signing up will keep you safe from many of the legal telemarketing calls that you want to avoid.
However, sometimes unwanted calls are illegal and do not follow the Do Not Call List, so further action is usually necessary.
Use an App To Fight Back
The best way to take matters into your own hands is to download an app built specifically for blocking unwanted callers. Firewall accesses your contacts and whitelists any callers that are approved to reach your phone.
Unlike many apps that try to get ahead of the issue by blacklisting known scam callers from national databases, Firewall ensures 100% of unwanted calls are blocked by giving you control over who has access to your phone.
Firewall also includes voicemail transcription so that you can review calls that are sent to voicemail, letting you look at them and decide if they came from someone you want to whitelist.
Conclusion
While the issue of unwanted calls isn’t going away any time soon, you can still act and prevent them from bothering you. Your phone probably has some built-in features that let you block specific numbers and hide your identity. Still, for the sake of your security and anonymity, it is a good idea to take it a step further with Firewall.
Firewall is made by the same people who invented the Burner app, and that privacy-first mentality shines through in both products. With Firewall, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to cut down on robocalls, scam calls, and telemarketers.
Firewall comes with a 14-day free trial, after which you can purchase the app for $3.99 per
month.
Sources:
to Combat Illegal Robocalls Fifth Further Notice of Proposing Rule | FCC