Question:
Dear Steve,
I keep getting calls nearly daily from the Debt Relief Center, but I have no debt. None. How do I stop these calls?
Robert
Answer:
Dear Robert,
Trying to stop spam calls is a nearly impossible battle.
National Do Not Call Registry
I’ve had one of my phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry since 2003, and it still gets marketing calls. The robocalls are the worst.
Now I’m not sure how many calls registering the phone number have stopped. Still, the Federal Trade Commission makes the registry available and also allows people to report spam calls and robocalls.
If a marketer doesn’t play by the rules, there are other options.
Change Your Telephone Number
This is always an option, but it might not result in a blank slate if the other person that had the number before you was getting robocalls. You might even get the number of someone else in collections, which can be not very pleasant.
Get a Virtual Number
You could get a virtual telephone number from one of the many services. One such service is Google Voice.
If you direct your phone to your new virtual number, you can screen calls or send all calls to voicemail, where they can be transcribed and sent to you by email or maybe text.
Stop Answering Calls
On that phone number, I mentioned that received spam calls; I just stopped answering the line. Problem solved.
Turn On Do Not Disturb
Your phone may have a feature to send all calls to voicemail if the incoming number is not on your contact list. It is a favorite solution.
However, people in my contact list ring through.
Block Phone Numbers
Blocking spam phone numbers seems less effective these days as robocalls and marketers often make the incoming number look like a local call and change the number frequently. But you can make the number not ring or blocked. But, again, you’d need to refer to the type of phone you have for instructions on how to do that.
Carrier Call Filtering
Your telephone provider may also have some service to attempt and block unwanted calls. You should contact your telephone carrier to get help activating any free filtering service they offer.
Paid Apps to Block Calls
There are paid apps for your mobile phone that can help block calls. Some even have a feature to automatically keep the spammers on the line and waste their time. Not effective in blocking calls, but you can dish out some payback.
Spam Calls Not New
Spam marketing calls are more prevalent today than in years gone by. But unwanted calls are not new. Long before cellphones, people received marketing calls on their landlines, often at dinner time. They’ve always been annoying, and it is hard to believe we still have to deal with all sorts of spammers still ringing our telephones.
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
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Asked question about blocking calls.
Unwanted marketing calls are the worst. I answered your question here.