If you are bothered by spam or fraud calls multiple times a day, it is worth checking the Call Screening feature built into your smartphone before installing a paid app. When an unknown number calls, your phone answers first to verify the caller and their purpose before letting you decide whether to take the call.
For iPhones, go to Settings, Apps, Phone, and Screen Unknown Callers, then select Ask Reason for Calling. On Samsung Galaxy devices, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the Phone app, go to Settings and Call Screening, and choose to screen suspicious spam calls or all unknown numbers. Google Pixel users can enable it under Phone app Settings and Call Screen.
You can also utilize free spam-blocking services provided by mobile carriers. AT&T offers ActiveArmor, Verizon provides Call Filter, and T-Mobile operates the Scam Protection feature. In particular, T-Mobile users can dial #662# on their phone to block suspicious fraud calls from ringing.
While you can manually block numbers one by one, scammers frequently change numbers or spoof legitimate ones to look real, making single-number blocking limited. Using secondary phone numbers for online shopping or sign-ups is another effective method. Services like Google Voice and TextNow offer free secondary phone number options.
Minimizing how often your personal information reaches marketing companies also helps prevent spam calls. California residents can use DROP, a free program allowing them to request data deletion from data brokers. However, even these services cannot completely eliminate all spam calls.
Above all, you should never blindly trust caller ID. Scammers can easily fake real phone numbers of banks or government offices. If a call appears to be from your bank but requests your account details or personal information, it is safest to hang up immediately and call back using the number on the back of your card or the official app.
