Spam calls

[usn90]

I’m getting multiple a day at this point, all the pre record messages, I don’t even bother answering the phone to anything I suspect as spam now.

I block them each time but I suspect this is fruitless, is there another way to stop them, an app perhaps?

[Ham_and_Jam]

usn90 said:

I m getting multiple a day at this point, all the pre record messages, I don t even bother answering the phone to anything I suspect as spam now.

I block them each time but I suspect this is fruitless, is there another way to stop them, an app perhaps?

I use the feature - silence and send all unknown and non-saved contact numbers to voicemail.

I was getting umpteen scam calls a day, a few weeks later I probably get one or two a week.

Any missed calls that you want to keep calls from you just add to your contacts.

Fantastic way of screening out scam calls, they just seem to give up on straight to voicemail numbers.

This is iPhone, but would imagine Android has similar.

[usn90]

Ham_and_Jam said:

I use the feature - silence and send all unknown and non-saved contact numbers to voicemail.

I was getting umpteen scam calls a day, a few weeks later I probably get one or two a week.

Any missed calls that you want to keep calls from you just add to your contacts.

Fantastic way of screening out scam calls, they just seem to give up on straight to voicemail numbers.

This is iPhone, but would imagine Android has similar.

Perfect I ll give this a try, iPhone too

Thanks

[Freakuk]

My general rule is if the number isn't in my contacts I just ignore. If they then subsequently leave a VM I know it isn't spam.

My iPhone does state suspected spam on the screen when one is calling though...

Edited by Freakuk on Wednesday 6th August 14:34

[Doofus]

If you stop answering, eventually your number will drop off their 'active targets' list.

Redirecting to voicemail, or answering and staying silent just tells them yours is a valid number.

[Mammasaid]

Android, well Google's own Pixel phones have had this for years, call screening. Works extremely well, flags spam before you answer and then blocks the number.

https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/3459196...

[simon_harris]

First step is to always add your number to the TPS (Telephone preference service) This *should* reduce calls from any legitimate callers, any further calls you get tell them you are on the TPS and ask for their details (both personal and company) so you can report them, you will come off the lists pretty quickly after that.

it should be noted most often as soon as you say that they will hang up

[Ham_and_Jam]

Doofus said:

If you stop answering, eventually your number will drop off their 'active targets' list.

Redirecting to voicemail, or answering and staying silent just tells them yours is a valid number.

I found the exact opposite.

My phone doesn’t ring when any spam calls come through, straight to voicemail.

Nearly all spam has stopped since using this feature from months of crap calls

[Ham_and_Jam]

usn90 said:

Perfect I ll give this a try, iPhone too

Thanks

Great, update us on how you get on

[snuffy]

Freakuk said:

My general rule is if the number isn't in my contacts I just ignore. If they then subsequently leave a VM I know it it's spam.

My iPhone does state suspected spam on the screen when one is calling though...

Isn't it the network that does that, as opposed to the phone?

[Road2Ruin]

Ham_and_Jam said:

usn90 said:

I m getting multiple a day at this point, all the pre record messages, I don t even bother answering the phone to anything I suspect as spam now.

I block them each time but I suspect this is fruitless, is there another way to stop them, an app perhaps?

I use the feature - silence and send all unknown and non-saved contact numbers to voicemail.

I was getting umpteen scam calls a day, a few weeks later I probably get one or two a week.

Any missed calls that you want to keep calls from you just add to your contacts.

Fantastic way of screening out scam calls, they just seem to give up on straight to voicemail numbers.

This is iPhone, but would imagine Android has similar.

I can't comment on all Android phones, but my Samsung has this feature. You can set it to block all calls not in your contacts, all calls, but also allow or not, any numbers that try more than once within a certain time period (for example a child who may have lost their phone, calling from a friends or landline). My Samsung also has the other feature that screens calls and tells you if it likely to be spam, a scam or....who it actually is, even of they are not in your contacts (only business numbers). Very clever.

[jeremyc]

Road2Ruin said:

My Samsung also has the other feature that screens calls and tells you if it likely to be spam, a scam or....who it actually is, even of they are not in your contacts (only business numbers). Very clever.

Hiya spam blocker app - available for Android and iOS (and installed from factory on Samsung phones).

https://en-gb.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blo...

[captain_cynic]

Road2Ruin said:

I can't comment on all Android phones, but my Samsung has this feature. You can set it to block all calls not in your contacts, all calls, but also allow or not, any numbers that try more than once within a certain time period (for example a child who may have lost their phone, calling from a friends or landline). My Samsung also has the other feature that screens calls and tells you if it likely to be spam, a scam or....who it actually is, even of they are not in your contacts (only business numbers). Very clever.

It's been a standard feature of Android since before Iphones had it. Works well on my Nokia, had it since my Nexus 4.


Anyway, if you do answer suspected spam calls, because sometimes we are waiting for a call from someone we don't know, answer and say nothing. Many automated calls centres are smart enough now that they'll automatically hang up when they detect an unattended line rather than connect you to a spam service agent as they obviously don't want them talking to an alarm system for 5 minutes.

However the only way to stop it is to get a new phone number. If you take this step, you then need to protect it by such "drastic" measures as not giving it out to anything that asks for it. Every organisation you give your number to us a risk. A risk that they might be compromised, a risk they might be sold to a less reputable company or a risk they will sell the information themselves.

Anyone a member of the Co-Op or M&S loyalty programs? Well now spammers worldwide have your phone number because they both got hacked. Same with WestJet, QANTAS and Hawaiians frequent flyer programs (they're all believed to been done by the same group). I'm sure none of these organisations intended for this to happen but it doesn't change the fact that PII was secured as cheaply as possible and is now in the hands of criminals, spammers and scammers.

Before I give my number to anyone I ask myself,
1. Do they really need to call me.
2. Are they going to sell this info.
3. Is the information secure
I'd I'm not absolutely convinced on any of them I do not give my number, at least not a real one (you'd be surprised how few websites bother to check if it's a legit phone number, numbers don't start with 04 or 06 in the UK).

I've received about 5, maybe 6 suspected spam calls (none that I've picked up) this year and they've all been on a secondary SIM I used for data overseas, a number I've given to no-one in the UK. I haven't received a suspected spam call on my primary number in ages.

[megaphone]

Register your phone with the Telephone Preference Service. Helps a lot, I get very few spam call's

https://www.tpsonline.org.uk

Also don't give your phone number out to any website or subscription that asks for it, just give a made up number.

[Terminator X]

Freakuk said:

My general rule is if the number isn't in my contacts I just ignore. If they then subsequently leave a VM I know it isn't spam.

My iPhone does state suspected spam on the screen when one is calling though...

Edited by Freakuk on Wednesday 6th August 14:34

Same and my voice message says don't leave a message send a text. They don't.

Also my phone has started flagging potential spam calls for me which I don't answer either.

TX.

[RapidlyDepreciating]

For anybody on iPhone, there are new features coming with the latest update that allows a few things.

1. block calls from unknown answers
2. feature that asks users who they are and what they are calling about before putting through.


You can try them out today if you are on the beta

[i4got]

I use Truecaller app on iphone. Does the job - blocks at least one a day.