How to Stop Robocalls and Scam Calls

Scammers ignore the registry; filters do not.

The FTC’s starting point: scammers do not care whether you are on the National Do Not Call Registry, so your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking and call labeling. Blocking stops many scam calls and illegal robocalls before they reach you, though it may catch some calls you want. Labeling lets the call through but shows a warning such as “spam” or “scam likely,” so you decide. Ask your carrier what it offers; many tools are free.

An app, the carrier, and built-in settings.

Call-blocking apps act as filters, using call data and reports from users, the FTC, and others to predict illegal or scam calls; some are free and some charge. The wireless industry site ctia.org lists apps by platform. Read an app’s privacy policy, since some access your contacts. Phones also have built-in settings to block specific numbers, though there may be a limit on how many. The FTC’s guide notes that home phones that make calls over the internet and traditional landlines each have their own blocking options.

From the FCC.

The FCC’s advice:

• do not answer calls from unknown numbers; if you do, hang up immediately;
• hang up right away if someone asks for money or personal information, and never share account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or PINs over the phone;
• if a caller says they are from a company or a government agency, hang up and call back on an official number from a statement or the organization’s website;
• if you feel pressured, or a caller asks you to pay with gift cards, it is a scam;
• set a strong password on your voicemail so it does not get hacked.

Scammers often spoof caller ID to make a call look legitimate. The FCC’s line for that: don’t hang on, hang up.

Consent, hours, and AI voices.

FCC rules require a caller to get your prior written consent — on paper or electronically, including a website form or a keypress — before making a prerecorded telemarketing call to your home or wireless number, and you can opt out even if you consented before. AI-generated voice calls are illegal unless you agreed to receive them or the caller is exempt. Telemarketing calls to your home are prohibited before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m., and telemarketers must honor a do-not-call request you make during a call. Register free at donotcall.gov or 1-888-382-1222; it reduces legitimate sales calls, so what still gets through is more likely to be a scam.

Forward to 7726.

Unwanted texts follow the same rules of thumb: do not click links or reply, and forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can act on them. Toll, delivery, and bank-alert texts are the common forms; see toll text scams.

FCC for the call, FTC for the scam.

File complaints about unwanted calls and texts with the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints. Report Do Not Call violations at donotcall.gov, and report scams, especially if you lost money, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC uses reports to build cases against scammers. Common call scripts include tech support and government impostors.