5 Tips to Avoid Spam Calls

What are spam calls? Spam calls include all unsolicited phone calls from individuals or robotic pre-recordings trying to: advertise to you, sell you something, survey you, obtain your information, or even involve you in something fraudulent. Not only can these calls be very annoying, especially if you receive multiple calls a day, but they can also put you in situations where your information may be compromised. So in order to help avoid these calls and make your cell phone use a more pleasant experience we’ve put together our top 5 tips to help you avoid and block these types of callers.

1. Do Not Answer Unknown Calls from Unknown Numbers:
   This may seem like an easy one but it can be hard to avoid a call from a number you don’t know if you use your cell phone for work or haven’t saved your family or friends’ numbers in your cell phone contact list. Plus, a call may look to be local yet spam callers can change area codes on their end, and in fact, the call is not coming from your local area at all. Simply not answering a caller that you don’t know makes it much easier to avoid a situation where you could be persuaded to do something like offer personal information or purchase an item that you may not want. So if you do choose to avoid calls you don’t recognize, we recommend setting up a clear voicemail right when you purchase your phone or as soon as possible, and make sure to set a voicemail password that you’ll remember. On your voicemail let callers know to leave their name, number, reason for calling, and that you’ll return their call as soon as possible. This will help you to know exactly who called and why then you can add this number directly to your phone contacts and return their call.
2. Register Your Number at the National Do Not Call Registry
   The National Do Not Call Registry was created to help avoid unwanted telemarketing and sales calls. This is a completely free service with no deadline for registration and no need to register again once you’ve been added. This list works for both cellular phones and home phones. To be added to the Do Not Call Registry you can either call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register, or you can add your number online at donotcall.gov.
3. Install a Call Blocking Application on your Smartphone
   If you use a smartphone you can install a call blocking application through your app store. This application will recognize known spam numbers and block them prior to them connecting to your phone, silence these calls, or send them directly to your voicemail. Some call blocking apps can be downloaded for free and others require a subscription or initial payment for use. Although this can be very useful it won’t catch every spam call coming in but will help to monitor a majority of them.  The U.S. wireless communications industry has a website to view a list of these applications, this can be found at ctia.org.
4. Silence Unknown Callers
   Some cell phones have an option to Silence Unknown Callers. This feature will push phone numbers that are not in your contact list directly to your voicemail or block them completely. This is a known feature on the iPhones as well as many other smartphones. Some feature phones offer similar options that only allow calls between saved contacts and emergency numbers. If an emergency number is called the Silent Unknown Caller feature will be disabled for a specific period of time allowing for different numbers to contact the phone. Depending on the cell phone you are using the Silent Unknown Caller feature will vary. View your cell phone user manual to better understand if this is an option for your cellular device.
5. Check with Your Wireless Carrier
   Your wireless service provider can offer you guidance, suggestions, and features to help with blocking and avoiding spam calls. Call your wireless carrier’s customer support line and ask if they offer any program or information on how to avoid spam calls.  The top four wireless service providers each have free options to help with spam and robocalling. The features can include but are not limited to caller id warning labels, call protection, spam filters, blocking calls for you, scam blocking, and call screening. Some service providers offer more advanced call blocking features at an additional charge. Your wireless service provider should be a trusted resource in helping you to filter out unwanted calls and to make your cellular phone a useful tool that does not get overwhelmed with spam.

These are just a few of the many options available to help you for removing, blocking, and screening unwanted spam calls. To look into further options search online, contact your cellular provider, or review your cell phone user manual. Here at Snapfōn® we strive to provide a positive cell phone experience for our customers. Annoying and unwanted spam calls that can cause disruption or invasion of private information can be avoided and we hope some of these tips can help you.