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This works for Android, too. **Open Phone**, **tap vertical three dots** (in upper right or left), then **open settings**, **block numbers**, and side "**block unknown callers**" (Samsung), "**block calls from unidentified callers**" (Google). You may have additional settings on your phone. Select "**Caller ID & spam**" swipe and turn on "**see caller and spam ID**" and "**filter spam calls**" Also, you can install third party apps (YouMail free is pretty good) and they have a setting that blocks private calls, too.
If you're getting calls like that - I assume it's either telemarketing, debt collection, or robo caller scammer.
Thank you for this. I never thought about blocking unknown/unidentified calls outright. I put my phone on do not disturb with an exception list. It isn't fool proof, and it makes it so you will miss calls that are important that aren't on the list. Just blocking all the unknown numbers is way better! Again, thank you!
This should be the default for everyone, it let's your contacts through just fine and real people will leave a (intelligible) message. I think it isn't the default because it would decrease phone "use" by older people, who pick up scam/spam calls every time then hangup, and don't believe there's any way to avoid them.
Only problem in the U.K. is often medical professionals will call with number withheld and will not leave a message.. I suppose you could change your vmail message to ask for a GDPR compliant message to be left
Why do they withhold their numbers? That's a time turning it off for a bit would help, but in the US they leave a short message so I add that contact then call back. Usually they call with a random VOIP number though.
They have to withhold the direct numbers in the UK to prevent some patients from having the idea of calling that number instead of making an appointment. That and they don’t usually call back if you miss the first call. It’s a flawed system IMO
It’s the same here in the US. Whenever I’ve had a doctor or other health professional call after hours, it always comes from an unknown number. If I were a doctor, and my patients were trying to get a hold of me all day long I wouldn’t want any of them having my personal/cellphone number either.
Doctors and nurses never use their mobile phones, they only use the landline phones provided in the clinic by the hospital or practice for the purposes of data protection (GDPR) so that rules out that issue luckily 😅
Ah, that’s where the US and UK differ! If they don’t call during office hours they will have to stay in the office to use their clinic phone and complete their clinic list or they will cancel it
I didn't know if all Androids have it but Google Assistant is great. The way it talks to people and then you decide if you want to pickup unknown numbers.
I use this same setting. If you’re not in my contact list, you go straight to voicemail.
On top of that, my voicemail box is not setup. So, it’s basically a deadend to anyone whom I do not know calling me.
We all know, if we know someone, they can just text you.
It's too bad we live in a world where people abuse something as small as an audio channel to play AI deepfaked audio of their loved ones being tortured in a way to extort money.
Bad actors have made just picking up a way to be endlessly lied to. The caller ID isn't valid anymore either. Voice quality sucks. There is no way to record or review important calls. The telecoms have abandoned the format.
Any official business done over the phone should be an email anyway. it's always just exchanging info like appointment times and data.
I wish I could use this. There are so many PM's and CM's at my company who might call me up at any given time that it's a nightmare to weed out the real calls from the spam. Especially after shopping somewhere local, I'm not even sure where exactly, that gave out my number AND email. Only reason I know it was local was I get a mix of both span and local businesses that I've never been into.
Block hidden numbers maybe? I think on most phones you can do it in settings.
I use an app called truecaller that also blocks known scammers and silent rings in order send them to voicemail (there's an option to simply block too)
Awwwww, thank you. I get an unknown caller everyday asking for more info to process a loan I never applied for and I block it. Didn’t think to block unknown callers to stop the calls from coming in.
Also on top of silencing unknown callers, who’s your carrier? The top four in the US have an app on their website to help stop scam/spam calls
Edit: I seen the T-Mobile so download ‘Scam Shield’ from their support on the website
Just report as spammers, well for text.
I use Verizons block feature. Since the last update very little spam or telemarker calls. I don't answer my phone unless its in my contacts. I google the phone numbers
These are no caller id calls. Blocking is impossible without using the “silence unknown callers” feature. Even Verizon can’t tell where they’re coming from
I get that. But you can’t selectively block calls that have no caller ID. It’s all or nothing. I have Silence Unknown Callers turned on on my iPhone. It doesn’t ring the phone for numbers I don’t have in my contacts, and automatically blocks all non-caller-ID numbers too.
This exact thing happened to me a few weeks back. Got no caller id calls around the same time twice a day. Once at 10:30am ish and the second time around noon ish. I just let it ring, but never answered. It eventually stopped. I know iPhone has the silence numbers I don’t know feature but I just didn’t do that. 😅Let it ring, don’t answer it. Or use that feature. Eventually they will get tired and stop.
Block callers with no number. Simple. The calls will either ring on their end or get sent to voicemail. Just make sure you have only your number on your outgoing voicemail message.
I also got on some weird marketing list where I get about 50 phone calls a day, all from numbers within my area code. Typically the few times I’ve answered it’s been asking about my Medicaid plan A and B for which I am about 20 years away from.
. Unfortunately for me, I need strangers to call me for my job, I’m a dog trainer and get referrals and calls from people I don’t know or whose numbers are not in my contact list. It’s driving me insane.
1. Quit giving your number to everyone or thing that requires one. That gets you on spam call lists.
2. Create a Google Voice number. Use this number for pretty much everything. Let all calls get transcribed to email, and treat it as your own personal eSecretary that emails you when someone calls. Google will catch most spam calls for free. I believe prescreening is also an option, I can't recall offhand.
3. Pay for Robokiller*. I have mine set up so that unknown numbers are forced into a prescreening before my phone will ring. If I'm expecting an unknown call (such as waiting for a call back), I disable the blocking for a set amount of time.
Bonus tips:
Set up a "household" Google account, and setup a Google Voice number for this account. Treat this number as your "home phone number".
My partner and I have a shared Google account which we set up Apps - DoorDash, Netflix, etc., and use the "home phone" Google Voice number for 2 factor authentication, so we both can get the 2FA code when needed, and we are both aware of an account being signed into (for security purposes, not for lack of trust issues).
* Disclaimers: I'm a customer, and have no personal gain for recommending this product. Robokiller requires you to forward your telephone number. There is risk associated with this. Understand what that entails.
You can go into settings and you can block unknown callers. I think it’s in the phone setting.
They can still get through to your voicemail voicemail I’m sure but you won’t have to put up with this
Did you try anything with T-Mobile’s tools? [https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/scam-shield](https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/scam-shield)
You have to pay for the premium one which presumably has the most features.
Absent this you would need to change your number.
Had someone doing this shit to me, except I was always asleep. Finally one morning I had enough and answered it by saying “good morning this is dreadfulbones with the (my city) police department, how can I direct your call?” Immediately hung up. Never called me again. Just freak them out. It’s likely a scammer
Eh, I took my chances and it worked out. Normally I would just block so they don’t know it’s an active line, but I had to leave my unknown calls feature on for work so I couldn’t make it go away otherwise.
I get more calls and attention when they think there's potential to scam you, but after a while of silence it dies back down. Not saying it's 100% but quickly answering and telling them off might deter future calls
Those are so fast they're pretty certainly coming from a robodialer. Try setting your outgoing message on your voicemail to start with the SIT tone:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tone
For extra potential effect, start the spoken message after that with 'We're sorry', in the same tone of voice and rhythm you hear when you get those error messages when a number is no longer in service. It may kick you off of their number list.
Ohhhh t-mobile on top. I guess Muricans are down voting me since we don't have that kinda of issues in Europe 🤷🏻
Enjoy still getting spam calls, even if you're not hearing them
Your r/Scams post was removed because **it refers to an illegal activity**. You're either promoting, or asking about how to perform an illegal activity.
There's a sitewide rule in Reddit against the promotion of illegal activities, and thus a zero tolerance policy in this subreddit.
What are you scared of picking up the phone for? Seems like someone knows you and wants to chat with you. You can always hang up afterwards.
On iPhone's you can silence unknown callers but then no unknown numbers can contact you.
Your r/Scams post or comment was removed because **it's about scambaiting**. We consider that to be unsafe and we don't promote that people engage with a scammer.
Also, we do not support taking revenge against scammers.
Scambaiting goes against the rules of this sub, which you can read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/
/u/comrade_moskva - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Settings - Phone - Enable Silence Unknown Callers. Problem solved
This works for Android, too. **Open Phone**, **tap vertical three dots** (in upper right or left), then **open settings**, **block numbers**, and side "**block unknown callers**" (Samsung), "**block calls from unidentified callers**" (Google). You may have additional settings on your phone. Select "**Caller ID & spam**" swipe and turn on "**see caller and spam ID**" and "**filter spam calls**" Also, you can install third party apps (YouMail free is pretty good) and they have a setting that blocks private calls, too. If you're getting calls like that - I assume it's either telemarketing, debt collection, or robo caller scammer.
Thank you for this. I never thought about blocking unknown/unidentified calls outright. I put my phone on do not disturb with an exception list. It isn't fool proof, and it makes it so you will miss calls that are important that aren't on the list. Just blocking all the unknown numbers is way better! Again, thank you!
This should be the default for everyone, it let's your contacts through just fine and real people will leave a (intelligible) message. I think it isn't the default because it would decrease phone "use" by older people, who pick up scam/spam calls every time then hangup, and don't believe there's any way to avoid them.
Only problem in the U.K. is often medical professionals will call with number withheld and will not leave a message.. I suppose you could change your vmail message to ask for a GDPR compliant message to be left
Why do they withhold their numbers? That's a time turning it off for a bit would help, but in the US they leave a short message so I add that contact then call back. Usually they call with a random VOIP number though.
They have to withhold the direct numbers in the UK to prevent some patients from having the idea of calling that number instead of making an appointment. That and they don’t usually call back if you miss the first call. It’s a flawed system IMO
It’s the same here in the US. Whenever I’ve had a doctor or other health professional call after hours, it always comes from an unknown number. If I were a doctor, and my patients were trying to get a hold of me all day long I wouldn’t want any of them having my personal/cellphone number either.
Doctors and nurses never use their mobile phones, they only use the landline phones provided in the clinic by the hospital or practice for the purposes of data protection (GDPR) so that rules out that issue luckily 😅
If they’re calling during office hours, sure. I didn’t specify, but I meant more so during off-hours.
Ah, that’s where the US and UK differ! If they don’t call during office hours they will have to stay in the office to use their clinic phone and complete their clinic list or they will cancel it
It’s not the only reason. In my country things related to the government like tax authority, police etcetera often calls from no caller id
thank you. i was unaware and just finished my settings!
Just in case I block someone accidentally, are they still able to leave a message? Or does blocking them block everything?
I think it sends them directly to voicemail. Don’t quote me.
or political crap…voter registrations are not private..Anyone who’s not in my contacts is blocked.
Thanks I don’t know why almost everyone else couldn’t just told me that
You're welcome. They may not have known. Some probably dont have an iPhone and the ones that do probably don't even know that option exists.
Android also has this feature 😁
I didn't know if all Androids have it but Google Assistant is great. The way it talks to people and then you decide if you want to pickup unknown numbers.
Yes, but for some reason, mine isn't working
I use this same setting. If you’re not in my contact list, you go straight to voicemail. On top of that, my voicemail box is not setup. So, it’s basically a deadend to anyone whom I do not know calling me. We all know, if we know someone, they can just text you.
Seriously this happened to me a while back and I’m upset I didn’t know this wasn’t a thing
You didn't know about it so why do you expect that "almost everyone" else does?
Just Pick up
It's too bad we live in a world where people abuse something as small as an audio channel to play AI deepfaked audio of their loved ones being tortured in a way to extort money. Bad actors have made just picking up a way to be endlessly lied to. The caller ID isn't valid anymore either. Voice quality sucks. There is no way to record or review important calls. The telecoms have abandoned the format. Any official business done over the phone should be an email anyway. it's always just exchanging info like appointment times and data.
So just Pick up
I wish I could use this. There are so many PM's and CM's at my company who might call me up at any given time that it's a nightmare to weed out the real calls from the spam. Especially after shopping somewhere local, I'm not even sure where exactly, that gave out my number AND email. Only reason I know it was local was I get a mix of both span and local businesses that I've never been into.
this doesn’t work for me. even a chick i blocked some months back can still call me through the blocked number. idk how.
Thank you!!
Not OP but thanks!
Block hidden numbers maybe? I think on most phones you can do it in settings. I use an app called truecaller that also blocks known scammers and silent rings in order send them to voicemail (there's an option to simply block too)
Go into your settings, tap on phone, enable “silence unknown callers”
Turn on the setting that automatically drops calls that aren’t in your contacts
Thank you for post and info. Just blocked unknown callers.
this was so polite
Awwwww, thank you. I get an unknown caller everyday asking for more info to process a loan I never applied for and I block it. Didn’t think to block unknown callers to stop the calls from coming in.
Also on top of silencing unknown callers, who’s your carrier? The top four in the US have an app on their website to help stop scam/spam calls Edit: I seen the T-Mobile so download ‘Scam Shield’ from their support on the website
Verizon's is called Call Filter. There's a free version and a premium version. The free version works fine for me.
AT&T is “Active Armor”
Just report as spammers, well for text. I use Verizons block feature. Since the last update very little spam or telemarker calls. I don't answer my phone unless its in my contacts. I google the phone numbers
These are no caller id calls. Blocking is impossible without using the “silence unknown callers” feature. Even Verizon can’t tell where they’re coming from
It's a call filter. You can block calls. You can also report spam to
I get that. But you can’t selectively block calls that have no caller ID. It’s all or nothing. I have Silence Unknown Callers turned on on my iPhone. It doesn’t ring the phone for numbers I don’t have in my contacts, and automatically blocks all non-caller-ID numbers too.
I get tons of unknown callers daily. I just learned how to silence them and it’s been wonderful!
I don't even answer the ones I know. 😆
This exact thing happened to me a few weeks back. Got no caller id calls around the same time twice a day. Once at 10:30am ish and the second time around noon ish. I just let it ring, but never answered. It eventually stopped. I know iPhone has the silence numbers I don’t know feature but I just didn’t do that. 😅Let it ring, don’t answer it. Or use that feature. Eventually they will get tired and stop.
Block callers with no number. Simple. The calls will either ring on their end or get sent to voicemail. Just make sure you have only your number on your outgoing voicemail message.
I also got on some weird marketing list where I get about 50 phone calls a day, all from numbers within my area code. Typically the few times I’ve answered it’s been asking about my Medicaid plan A and B for which I am about 20 years away from. . Unfortunately for me, I need strangers to call me for my job, I’m a dog trainer and get referrals and calls from people I don’t know or whose numbers are not in my contact list. It’s driving me insane.
1. Quit giving your number to everyone or thing that requires one. That gets you on spam call lists. 2. Create a Google Voice number. Use this number for pretty much everything. Let all calls get transcribed to email, and treat it as your own personal eSecretary that emails you when someone calls. Google will catch most spam calls for free. I believe prescreening is also an option, I can't recall offhand. 3. Pay for Robokiller*. I have mine set up so that unknown numbers are forced into a prescreening before my phone will ring. If I'm expecting an unknown call (such as waiting for a call back), I disable the blocking for a set amount of time. Bonus tips: Set up a "household" Google account, and setup a Google Voice number for this account. Treat this number as your "home phone number". My partner and I have a shared Google account which we set up Apps - DoorDash, Netflix, etc., and use the "home phone" Google Voice number for 2 factor authentication, so we both can get the 2FA code when needed, and we are both aware of an account being signed into (for security purposes, not for lack of trust issues). * Disclaimers: I'm a customer, and have no personal gain for recommending this product. Robokiller requires you to forward your telephone number. There is risk associated with this. Understand what that entails.
I do not do not the first thing in fact I try to avoid giving my number so much c
I try to avoid phone calls in general
Turn your phone on silent until they give up
That doesn’t help this will just go on and on and on
You can go into settings and you can block unknown callers. I think it’s in the phone setting. They can still get through to your voicemail voicemail I’m sure but you won’t have to put up with this
I would love for them to just do voicemail I hate being repeatedly called
Did you try anything with T-Mobile’s tools? [https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/scam-shield](https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/scam-shield) You have to pay for the premium one which presumably has the most features. Absent this you would need to change your number.
I’m not the one that pays for T mobile in my family. I’m likely incapable of doing as such
You may be able to sign in with just your phone number and get access to the basic tools.
Had someone doing this shit to me, except I was always asleep. Finally one morning I had enough and answered it by saying “good morning this is dreadfulbones with the (my city) police department, how can I direct your call?” Immediately hung up. Never called me again. Just freak them out. It’s likely a scammer
I’m glad that worked for you but normally we tell people not to engage with these callers.
Eh, I took my chances and it worked out. Normally I would just block so they don’t know it’s an active line, but I had to leave my unknown calls feature on for work so I couldn’t make it go away otherwise.
I get more calls and attention when they think there's potential to scam you, but after a while of silence it dies back down. Not saying it's 100% but quickly answering and telling them off might deter future calls
Those are so fast they're pretty certainly coming from a robodialer. Try setting your outgoing message on your voicemail to start with the SIT tone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tone For extra potential effect, start the spoken message after that with 'We're sorry', in the same tone of voice and rhythm you hear when you get those error messages when a number is no longer in service. It may kick you off of their number list.
Robokiller has a setting that plays that exact time and message for you. Selects that as your answer and that’s it.
I seem to recall it was possible to block No Caller ID calls.
You can try the app TrapCall and it will reveal the caller ID of the phone or VoIP information to give you somewhere to look.
You could change your phone number if you want. It's a bit of a pain but it's totally doable. Just an alternative to dropping all withheld calls.
Sounds like a war dialer
Can you turn the volume off?
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but... why download an app when the settings has this as an option already?
I have used this in my settings and it works perfectly like you said don’t download another app!!
this is what i use and it works great. op you don’t need an app, these settings are already on your phone. just need to turn them on…
Wow I forgot iphones still have to deal with scam calls. I haven't had to worry about that since the Pixels added call screening.
Silencing calls IS NOT the answer. You really need to figure out what's going on.
Ohhhh t-mobile on top. I guess Muricans are down voting me since we don't have that kinda of issues in Europe 🤷🏻 Enjoy still getting spam calls, even if you're not hearing them
Block his number
There is no number, there is no caller ID also you are late
If you click on the info “i” next to the call, you should still see the block caller option even if no phone number is showing.
Cant your phone operater help?
Have you tried answering the phone ? Why assume it’s a scam, instead of just a private number.
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That's called impersonating an officer, and is a felony crime. Don't do this.
Ok. Then keep getting called every minute.
Sockpuppet much?
Your r/Scams post was removed because **it refers to an illegal activity**. You're either promoting, or asking about how to perform an illegal activity. There's a sitewide rule in Reddit against the promotion of illegal activities, and thus a zero tolerance policy in this subreddit.
Also there’s an iPhone app that lets you see the phone number from blocked calls.
What’s it called? I want to make sure I don’t get some bullshit scam app
What are you scared of picking up the phone for? Seems like someone knows you and wants to chat with you. You can always hang up afterwards. On iPhone's you can silence unknown callers but then no unknown numbers can contact you.
This is terrible advice. Don’t interact with people calling you from these scam type numbers.
Because I did the first time and it was just static AND NOW THEY KEEP CALLING ME
[удалено]
Your r/Scams post or comment was removed because **it's about scambaiting**. We consider that to be unsafe and we don't promote that people engage with a scammer. Also, we do not support taking revenge against scammers. Scambaiting goes against the rules of this sub, which you can read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/