Did you have a unknown call recently?
Anyone with a phone, whether a cell phone or a landline, can get spam calls, just like spam emails can show up in anyone's mailbox.
Most likely, the caller on the other end was a robocall or spam call rather than a real person.
Over the past few years, these calls have changed in kind. They used to be extremely blatant spam, frequently beginning with an 800-number and a highly robotic-sounding voice on the other end, but they have since improved and now frequently include names and human-sounding voices. Spam calls are so common that they have become memes. Nearly as frequently as spam calls hit our phones is the ever-popular, "We've Been Trying To Reach You About Your Car's Extended Warranty." However, not every robocall is a spam call.
Some of these may be automated reminders from your doctor or dentist about an impending visit or a valid bill that is past due.
Solutions have been developed by phones, phone providers, and independent app developers to prevent the majority of those calls from being answered. In case the tech stops a call from someone you genuinely know, many of these will route unknown calls directly to voicemail.
Start by signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry run by the Federal Trade Commission. Calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register will put you on the list. Register your phone numbers at DoNotCall.gov if you have more than one to enter.
Many unwanted calls will be stopped by the National Do Not Call Registry, but not all of them. You can add a second layer of security to your smartphone security by using a spam-filtering app. Rex Freiberger, managing partner of the website Gadget Review, adds that the app's creators keep a sizable database of user-reported robocalls. The program prevents your phone from ringing when one of those numbers calls you and notifies you that the call is spam.
Mr. Number:Available in the App store and on Google AT&T Call Protect: A free service for AT&T
Verizon Call Filter:Last year, Verizon rolled out a service called the Neighborhood Filter for its customers.
How to ban spam calls on your iPhone is as follows:
Launch Settings.
Once you see the phone symbol, scroll down and tap it.
Select "Silence Unknown Callers" by scrolling down and finding it.
Toggle the switch to the green position.