life is busy Enough without wasting time on spammers, scammers and telemarketers. Whether you’ve been victimized by constantly hurtful lawyers, deceitful car warranty representatives, or a drunk dialing ex, there is a way to stop the endless calls and messages. Major carriers and phone manufacturers have stepped up their stance against unwanted calls and messages in recent years, so let’s take a look at how you can effectively stop them.
We also have guides on avoiding spam with disposable contact information, protecting against smishing attacks, and avoiding phishing scams. Frustrated with the whole situation and curious why no one has been able to stop the flood of spam calls? Check out WIRED senior writer Lily Hay Newman’s article on our perpetual robocall hell.
what to keep in mind
Before we consider blocking options, there are a few things to know:
If possible, do not answer any calls from numbers you do not recognize. Callers saying anything important will likely leave a message. Sadly, this won’t work for people with professions or interests that get a lot of calls from unknown numbers.
Never click on any link or attachment in a spam text message as this may trigger malware. Avoid opening them completely if possible.
Never respond to a spam text message, as this will confirm that your number is legitimate.
If you’re concerned that the call or message may be from a legitimate company, try typing the number into your favorite search engine. While it may be difficult to confirm a scammer’s number, it is easy to confirm a legitimate number. If you can’t find anything on the number then be careful and ignore it. We’ll explain how to block numbers, but it’s also important to report unwanted calls and messages. If this is telemarketing, scam, or spam, you can report it to the FTC here. You can also add your number to the Do Not Call registry, although this only works for sales calls from reputable companies. Sadly, many organizations and scammers ignore this. We’ll go over how to report numbers to manufacturers, carriers, and third parties below. The more people do this, the easier it is to identify nuisance numbers and block or label them in advance.
How to Block Calls and Texts on iPhone
Apple via Simon Hill
It’s easy to block individual numbers on your iPhone. This way:
