9 best ways to stop spam callers

Key takeaways

• Start with phone and provider filters, but keep a route for genuine callers.
• Caller ID can be spoofed. Verify unexpected requests independently.
• Marketing registers and public-listing removal cannot stop every spam call.

1. Choose the right controls for your phone

Start with built-in mobile settings and your carrier's controls. For an internet-based home phone, ask about VoIP filtering; for a traditional landline, ask about network services or a compatible blocking device. Blocking stops or diverts calls; labelling adds a warning. Neither catches everything, and genuine calls can be blocked.

2. Ask your provider about spam filtering

Use the provider's official website or app to check availability, activation and fees. Find out whether the service blocks, labels or sends calls to voicemail. After switching it on, review blocked calls and voicemail, especially if you are expecting a school, medical or delivery call.

3. Screen unknown callers without losing important calls

Try screening, silence settings or voicemail where supported. Save expected contacts and check messages rather than rejecting every unfamiliar number. A voicemail asking for payment, account access or a code still needs verification: use the company's genuine app or a number on a statement, not the message's callback number.

4. Block repeated nuisance numbers, but expect spoofing

Block recurring nuisance calls, but remember that scammers can change or spoof the displayed number. A local area code, business name or bank number does not prove identity. The real owner of a spoofed number may be uninvolved, so do not confront or publicly accuse them.

5. Register for the appropriate marketing opt-out

In the US, use the free official DoNotCall.gov registry for eligible sales calls. In the UK, the free Telephone Preference Service covers unsolicited live sales and marketing calls to registered mobile and landline numbers. Consent and non-marketing exceptions apply. Criminals may ignore either scheme.

Elsewhere, check your local telecoms regulator. These registers are not worldwide services or universal blockers for automated calls. Do not pay an unexpected caller to register your number.

6. Hang up on suspicious robocalls

The FTC advises hanging up on suspicious or illegal robocalls without pressing a key or calling back. Do not share verification codes, approve an unexpected sign-in or install software. End the call and check the claim through a trusted channel. Knowing your name or address is not proof of identity.

7. Reduce unnecessary public phone-number exposure

Review public profiles, old adverts and people-search listings. Use each site's official opt-out process and keep a private record. Removal reduces public discoverability, not call delivery: callers can use other sources, old lists or spoofing. A successful opt-out cannot guarantee fewer calls or erase the underlying public records.

8. Check the privacy cost of a blocking app

Read the privacy policy, permissions and charging terms before installing a third-party blocker. Some apps access contacts or route calls through their systems. Check what it actually does and whether built-in controls already meet your needs. Do not grant contact or message access simply because an app promises complete protection.

9. Report the problem and act on any harm

Save the date, time, displayed number and message privately. In the US, report unwanted calls without a loss to DoNotCall.gov and fraud or loss to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In the UK, use TPS for relevant live marketing complaints and the appropriate regulator or official fraud channel for other problems.

If you paid or shared banking details, contact your bank promptly. Change exposed passwords and reused copies through the genuine service. If you installed software, address possible device compromise separately. Blocking the caller does not undo those harms, and call filters do not protect your email inbox.

If the problem is a text or email

Call filtering does not screen your inbox. Use the scam-message guidance below and open the named company independently rather than following an unexpected link.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• FTC, How To Block Unwanted Calls
• Telephone Preference Service, official UK register
• FTC, What To Know About People Search Sites That Sell Your Information
• FTC, How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams

Related privacy guides

• Browse How to Stop Spam

  Use the existing collection for related phone-exposure and spam questions.

• Protect your number and account recovery

  If you are concerned about carrier access or authentication codes, those risks need security measures beyond call blocking.

• Read the Whitepages opt-out guide

  If you have identified a Whitepages listing, use the broker-specific process rather than a generic removal instruction.

• Find a relevant scam-message guide

  A suspicious parcel or tax text needs message-specific verification, even when call filtering is enabled.

• Open PMD's Spam Blocker

  Members can sign in to review this tool. Access depends on the plan; public-exposure reduction is not a carrier filter or a guarantee of zero calls.