Now that the pandemic has waned, it seems that not only are we getting back to normal, but those baddie scammers and spammers are back at it again, even more so than before. According to the AARP article, last year saw an average of 4.1 billion a month! Sometimes it feels like I get at least half of those! One improvement we’ve seen over the last two years is that often, an incoming number will show as ‘Spam Likely,’ which is an excellent aid in sifting out the wrong calls. My theory has always been that if they are genuine, they will leave a voice message, and I can then return the call – if I so choose.
The good news is that some Smartphone apps out there lay claim to helping weed out those baddies, called ‘call blockers’. Additionally, your phone service provider may offer some protection as well.
We wanted to share this excellent read from the AARP with you that talks more about call blockers and what some of the largest wireless providers are doing to help in this surge of @#$% annoying, time-wasting, and potentially risky phone calls. They also have some great self-help advice, including:
“Best practices for consumers
To join in the fight, consumers are urged to:
Download a call blocker. First, try a free solution to see if it does the trick. No-cost services from firms such as YouMail and Nomorobo are carrier-agnostic. (Nomorobo is free for landlines but $1.99 a month for cellphones.) Your mobile carrier has free tools, too.
Experiment with call-blocking tools, apps and options, to strike the right balance between the calls you want and those you don’t. It may take trial and error to avoid a “false positive,” the term for a legitimate call that is stopped.
Let a call go to voice mail if it gets through a robocall app and you don’t recognize the caller. If the caller claims to be from, say, Citibank, don’t call back a number left on voice mail. Use a number that you know is legitimate, such as one on a statement or credit card.
Hang up if it’s a live person calling, as computer-based robocall systems allow. Do not engage.
Learn what security tools your provider offers. See Help for consumers, below.
Heed the latest advice from the FTC and the FCC.”
Read more on their site at The Definitive Guide to Reducing Robocalls. The Federal Communications Commission also goes into depth with a lot of excellent advice about stopping the influx of these calls.
Recent Comments