How To Prevent Spam Calls

Unwanted repeated phone calls from telemarketers, scam artists, or sales persons can be bothersome and alarming. According to a study, the average cell phone user receives around 14 spam calls per month. In 2022, 68.4 million U.S. citizens reported losing money to phone scams. So how can these calls be prevented?

Register your number with the Federal Trade Commission:

One option is to register your phone number on the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) National Do Not Call Registry for free. This registry is maintained by the U.S. Government and is designed to stop law abiding companies from contacting anyone who is registered on this database. You can visit DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number that you want to register. Three numbers can be registered at a time, and you will have to provide an email to receive the confirmation.

On Apple Devices:

iPhones have a feature called “Silence Unknown Callers.” To turn on Silence Unknown Callers, go to Settings > Phone, then scroll down, tap Silence Unknown Callers, and turn on the feature. Callers that are not saved in your contacts will be silenced and sent to voicemail. You will be able to see the caller in your recent call logs if you need to call them back.

On Android Devices:

Open the Phone app then go to ⋮ > Settings > Blocked numbers and tap the toggle switch next to Unknown or Block calls from unknown numbers. You can also block a specific number by tapping the number in your recent calls, and then tapping Block/Report Spam.

Third Party Apps:

Within the BlackCloak application, clients have access to NomoRobo and Robokiller. Both are industry trusted spam call blockers with millions of downloads. Robokiller provides more services than Nomorobo, however, it has disclosed in the past it collects call information. If privacy is more of a concern for you, Nomorobo may be a better choice, but both are highly recommended.

If you need assistance setting up either of these applications, please schedule a concierge session and a member of our team will be pleased to help. These apps have their separate subscriptions independent of your BlackCloak plan.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why am I receiving so many spam calls?

After breaches and leaks, data brokers will be active in selling your leaked information. If this information includes phone numbers, it may be the reason you are receiving so many more calls.

What happens if I answer a spam call?

If you answer a spam call, the caller knows the line is connected to an actual person that interacts with these types of calls. This can make you the target of more frequent calls.

How does my mobile carrier know what's a spam call?

Carriers have a database of known fraudulent numbers and deceptive sources that the calls are compared against when they are made.

What are the risks of answering spam calls?

While some may be advertisers selling a product, a lot of callers may try to gather information from you, get you to say “yes”, or trick you into making a decision to try and use these items to complete fraudulent activities. It is important to know that all spam calls should be ignored and blocked. This will not only limit the risk of your information being sold, but help limit the amount you receive in the future.

If you have any questions or need further assistance please contact the BlackCloak concierge team to set up a session so we may assist you.