1. Turn on the protections already in your phone
Modern iPhones and Android phones can identify, screen, silence, or filter suspected spam. These controls are the cheapest first step because they are built into the device.
- On iPhone, review the Phone app’s call-filtering and unknown-caller settings.
- In Google’s Phone app, turn on caller ID and spam protection, then consider filtering suspected spam.
- Check voicemail after silencing unknown calls so you do not miss a doctor, school, delivery, or job-related caller.
Settings change between operating-system versions, so follow the current instructions from Apple or Google.
2. Add your carrier’s free filter
Major carriers provide network-level spam labeling or blocking. Start with the free tier before paying for another app. Carrier filtering can stop or label calls before your phone has to make the decision itself.
3. Use a call-blocking app when the basics are not enough
A third-party blocker can add a larger reputation database, custom rules, reverse lookup, and more aggressive screening. Check its privacy practices, independent reviews, and subscription price before granting access to your calls or contacts.
Read our spam-call blocker comparison for the main approaches and tradeoffs.
4. Treat caller ID as a label, not proof
Scammers can spoof a familiar business, government agency, local area code, or even your own number. If a caller creates urgency or asks for money, codes, remote access, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, hang up. Find the organization’s official number independently and call it yourself.
5. When a suspicious call still gets through
The safest official advice is to hang up, block, and report the call. Stall the Scam is an optional speaker-mode tool for adults who have already decided a live incoming call is fraudulent. It uses harmless, prerecorded responses and never needs your name, account number, password, payment details, or one-time codes.
It is not a replacement for blocking, and it cannot promise that engaging a caller will reduce future calls or remove a number from a list.
Frequently asked
Questions about spam calls
Does the National Do Not Call Registry stop scammers?
It can reduce calls from legitimate telemarketers that follow the law, but scammers ignore the Registry.
Should I press a number to be removed from a robocall list?
No. The FTC recommends hanging up without pressing buttons or calling back.
Can I block all unknown callers?
Yes on many phones, but doing so can also silence legitimate calls from doctors, schools, deliveries, employers, and other unsaved numbers.