There are few things less annoying than the spam phone call. Not only are they always inconvenient, they can even be used for nefarious purposes. During the 2000 presidential election, such calls flooded targeted areas in Florida claiming that candidate John McCain had an illegitimate African American child (McCain does have a legally adopted child, so it was an example of the dirtiest kind of politics).
No matter the motive for the spam call, they’re nuisance that continues to be pervasive. Not even the chronically lonely – those willing to talk to telemarketers and answer surveys just for the sake of company – can appreciate them. So it’s strange companies still believe they’re an effective marketing tool, or that there are a small percentage of people who still fall for them. They’ve become so omnipresent that the Federal Trade Commission received over 375,000 complaints every month of last year.
Nevertheless, these spam calls don’t appear they’re going anywhere anytime soon. Here are some ways on how to stop spam calls permanently:
1. Block Them One By One
This is probably the least effective way for how to stop spam calls, especially if your phone is plagued by multiple robo or spam calls a day. Companies have gotten smart about how to avoid this, regularly updating their outgoing numbers. If, however you’re getting calls from the same number, it’s fairly simple to block it whether you have an iPhone or an Android.
For an iPhone, simply go to the phone app and click on “recent”, then tap the blue information next to the number you want to block.
The process is fairly similar for an android, however after entering “recent” you must hold down on the offending number and select “block”. Some Androids even have a specific option to report the number as spam.
Even though it may start to feel like the world’s most frustrating game of Whack-a-Mole, if you’re persistent enough to keep doing it, eventually you’ll at least slow or limit the number of calls you receive.
2. Put Your Faith in Your Provider
Most cell phone providers include the option of some kind of protection against spam calls, stopping them before they even start. However, depending on your provider, some require an additional fee for the service. AT&T has a free app known as call protect, however the feature only blocks “suspected spam”, meaning that you’ll still have to occasionally manually add a new number to the no-call list.
For $2.99 a month, Sprint offers Premium Caller ID, which doesn’t automatically block calls, but instead tells you when you shouldn’t answer. You would still have to manually block calls.
T-Mobile has two separate layers of protection, free for all post-paid customers. You can enable Scam ID, which notifies you when the number is a nuisance call. Or you can turn on Scam Block, preventing such calls from getting through in the first place.
Verizon Wireless offers numerous different ways of protection, beginning with a free service that lets you block up to five numbers, however the blocks expire after 90s days and aren’t effective against robocalls that change their numbers daily. Their Call Filter service, currently free, is a much more effective tool.
3. Use a Third Party
There are several different third party apps that are effective in how to stop spam calls. Apps such as Nomorobo, Robokiller and Hiya can be downloaded, although most do require some kind of monthly subscription. These apps rely on a constantly updated database of robocall, spammers and scammers, typically adding thousands of bad numbers daily. If the number calling is on their kill list, it will be stopped before it reaches you.
In addition, you have other options if you are willing to spend money. As a business, you can hire an answering service that will field the phone calls on your behalf, meaning that these annoying spam calls can be filtered out manually.
4. Buy a Phone That Does It Automatically
Samsung’s most recent Galaxy S and Note phones come with an automatic feature that blocks spam calls. Both Google Pixel and Pixel 2 offer the same service, turning the entire screen a bright red with the words “Do Not Answer!” when a call comes through.
The technology has yet to be perfected, with some users of the Pixel phones claiming the odd spam call still goes through unnoticed, but it’s a relatively new feature. One would imagine other companies will make this a standard feature in the future, considering the pervasive nature of nuisance calls.
5.Go All Out With a Do Not Disturb Feature
Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, you can set the phone to “Do Not Disturb” in your operating system. This feature only allows calls from numbers in your contact list.
Obviously, this is the most extreme option, and you should only put it to use if you’re certain your contact list is updated to include any potential callers. This should only be used if you’re experiencing a full-on assault of spam calls. It won’t stop them, but rather send them straight to your voicemail where you can later block the number manually.