Robocalls are so high on the rise that the Federal Trade Commission received as much as 4 lacs complaints against them every single month in 2017. Robocallers have begun a new trick by masking their spam with local, genuine-looking phone numbers. The best thing to do in case you pick up one such call is that never to follow any instruction
So if you’re as sick as I am of pulling a vibrating phone out of your pocket only to see a random, suspect number, let’s go over the options for fighting back and restoring some sense of peace.
I guess you might not be receiving them as a very welcome call to get entertained, so here are few tips which you can use to avoid robocalls
The first technique, though a hopeless one but is comfortable and hassle- free. You can block the numbers individually through your mobile contact settings. This option may require little of your attention from time to time but there is a high chance that you wont be called again. Since this method is a hassle-free and can be considered a free advice, if you are receiving a large number of calls, then this option is certainly not for you.
T-Mobile includes two network-level layers of protection against robocallers, and both are free. Scam ID will identify known nuisance callers when your phone rings. There is no requirement of any installation or signup process and one gets the option of enabling Scam Block to prevent those calls from ever popping up in the first place. To turn on Scam Block, dial #ONB# (#662#) from your T-Mobile phone. To disable it, just dial #OFB# (#632#). Like AT&T’s tool, T-Mobile will only prevent known scammers and fraud calls. Telemarketers and spam calls will still get through.
Truecaller, RoboKiller, Hiya, and others applications are there which are designed to prevent robocalls from ever ringing your phone. Most of them require a monthly (or annual) subscription. At their core, these services rely on a constantly updating list of robocallers, spammers, and fraudsters and use that database to stop nuisance calls. A call comes in, and the service runs it against that huge list of scam numbers. If it finds a match, the incoming call gets shut down before it reaches you.
Add yourself to the National Do Not Call Registry by visiting www.donotcall.gov. The FTC says to allow 31 days for legitimate telemarketer sales calls to stop. However, the registry only covers sales calls while charity calls, political groups, debt collectors, and surveys are still allowed.
Out of all efforts, if none work remember, you can always report callers to the Federal Trade Commission. They’re not going to pursue every individual complaint, but it’s certainly important to keep the commission aware of the gravity of the situation and take them down when it comes under their notice.