To stop spam calls, you can take several effective steps:

Register on Do Not Call Lists

• Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry (for U.S. numbers) or the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) in the UK. This reduces telemarketing calls from legitimate companies, though it won't stop scammers or automated robocalls

Use Built-in Phone Features

• On iPhone, enable Silence Unknown Callers (Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers) to send calls from unknown numbers directly to voicemail without ringing. Calls from your contacts and recent calls will still come through

• On Android, block specific numbers via the Phone app or enable blocking of unknown/private numbers in settings. You can also use Do Not Disturb mode configured to allow calls only from contacts

Carrier Call Blocking Services

• Many carriers offer free or paid call-blocking tools:
  • AT&T’s ActiveArmor filters spam and fraud calls.
  • Verizon’s Call Filter detects and blocks spam calls.
  • T-Mobile’s Scam Shield provides caller ID and spam warnings

Use Third-Party Call-Blocking Apps

• Apps like Hiya, RoboKiller, TrueCaller, and Call Control can block or label spam calls. Some offer free basic versions with premium features available for a fee

Additional Tips

• Answer spam calls on mute and wait for them to hang up; this can sometimes cause spam callers to remove your number from their lists

• Mark calls as spam or block numbers directly from your phone’s recent calls list to help your phone and apps learn what to filter

By combining these methods-registering on do not call lists, using phone and carrier tools, and third-party apps-you can significantly reduce the number of spam calls you receive.