How to Block Scam Phone Calls on Any Phone
Call blocking beats the Do Not Call Registry for scam calls. Here is what works on cell phones, internet home phones and landlines.
Why blocking works better than the Do Not Call Registry alone
The National Do Not Call Registry was built for honest companies. The FTC says it is a list that tells registered telemarketers what numbers not to call. The FTC says the Registry is designed to stop unwanted sales calls from real companies that follow the law.
Scammers do not care if you are on the Registry. The FTC says being on it will not stop scammers from making illegal calls. So if you signed up years ago and your phone still rings all day, that is why. The Registry was never aimed at the people calling you now.
The FTC says your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking and call labeling. Being on the Registry could still reduce the calls you get and make scam calls easier to spot. But blocking does the real work.
How to block scam calls on a cell phone
Cell phones, home phones that make calls over the internet, and landlines each have their own call-blocking options. Start with the kind of phone you hold.
On a cell phone, you have two main routes. The FTC says cell phones have their own call-blocking options, and some call-blocking apps are free while others charge a fee. The FTC says some phone provider services are free, but others might charge you a fee.
Apps give you real control. The FTC says apps usually let you choose how to respond to calls they flag as scams. You can block calls based on the area code or location of the incoming call. You can build lists of numbers to block, or lists of numbers to let through. Some apps can even send a prewritten text message to the caller.
Before you pick an app, read its privacy policy. The FTC says the policy should explain how it gets and uses your information. Also check whether the app accesses your contacts list, and decide if that matters to you.
How to block scam calls on a home phone that uses the internet
If your home phone makes calls over the internet, internet-based call-blocking services can block unwanted calls on it. Your phone provider may point you toward one service in particular, and that service may bill you. Some of these services cost nothing, while others send you a bill every month.
One thing to check before you sign up. The FTC says some internet-based services and phone apps require that all calls are routed through their service. Know what you are agreeing to before you commit.
Not sure what kind of phone service you have? The FTC says to check with your phone provider. It can tell you whether your home phone uses the internet.
How to block scam calls on a landline
Landlines have two options. Your provider may offer a blocking service, or you can buy a call-blocking device. The FTC says these devices are usually small boxes you attach to your phone.
The devices work in different ways. Some use databases of known scam numbers but let you add numbers you want blocked. Others rely on you to create and update your own list. Some connect callers to a recording with options, so a real caller can still get through. Others use lists of approved numbers to limit which calls ring your phone. Some even let you set do not disturb hours when calls go straight to voicemail.
Pick the device that matches how you use your phone.
For links to company-specific information about blocking calls, the FTC says to go to the Federal Communications Commission's Call Blocking Resources. Our page on FCC scam calls has more on that side of things.
What call blocking can and cannot stop
Be honest about what blocking does. The FTC says call-blocking services and apps might stop calls, let calls through without ringing, or send calls straight to voicemail. All three outcomes are useful, but none is perfect.
The FTC also says call-blocking services might block some calls you want to get.
And no method catches everything. The FTC says call blocking can help stop robocalls from scammers, but some robocalls might still get through. It also says not all scam calls will get flagged by caller ID. A blocking tool cuts the noise. It does not end it.
When a scam call slips past your blocking
Some calls will slip past any blocking setup. What you do next matters.
First, know what a robocall is. The FTC says a robocall is a call where you hear a recorded message instead of a live person. A robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless the company got your written permission to call you that way. Not all robocalls are illegal. Purely informational messages and debt collection calls are allowed.
But the FTC says if someone is robocalling you without permission, there is a good chance it is a scam. Scammers make robocalls because it is cheap and easy to make them over the internet from anywhere in the world. Some claim to be from government agencies calling about your Social Security number, taxes, or Medicare.
If an illegal robocall reaches you, put the phone down and never return the call. The FTC also says do not press a number after an illegal robocall. Pressing numbers to speak to someone or to be removed from the list will probably lead to more robocalls, not fewer. That button is a trap.
If you want to know more about the calls that show up labeled on your screen, see our page on scam likely calls.
How reporting scam calls helps everyone
The FTC takes what you report, such as names or numbers you are told to call back, and uses it to hunt down scammers. Law enforcement also leans on your reports to figure out who is behind the illegal calls.
Report the number on your caller ID even if you think it is fake. The FTC asks for that number anyway, and it also asks for the exact date and time of the call if you know it.
Your report does not just sit in a drawer. Every business day, the FTC publishes the illegal callers' numbers that you report for anyone to see. Phone companies and other partners building call-blocking and call-labeling tools put those published numbers to work.
Some call-blocking apps can report a call to the FTC at DoNotCall.gov, or, if you lost money to the scammer, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. To learn why your number gets hit so often, see why do I get so many scam calls. The FTC has more about unwanted calls at ftc.gov/calls.