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Your best defense against spam calls is a layered one: turn on carrier spam protection, use your phone's blocking and screening tools, and report the calls that get through. Don't rely on caller ID, and avoid apps that promise to spoof numbers or flood a phone with calls. If a caller asks for money, credentials, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a verification code, hang up and check the claim through an official channel.

These steps are for U.S. consumers. Menu names vary by device, operating system, and carrier, and no filter stops every unwanted call.

Blocking and labeling are not the same

Call blocking keeps a number or category from reaching you. Call labeling lets the call come through but marks it with a warning such as Spam or Scam likely. The Federal Trade Commission's guide to blocking unwanted calls explains that both tools can reduce unwanted calls on cell phones and home phones.

A warning label isn't proof that a call is fraudulent, and an unmarked call isn't automatically safe. Scammers can spoof caller ID to show a familiar local number, business name, or agency name.

Block spam calls on a cell phone

Start with the tools already built into your phone or carrier account:

  1. Turn on your carrier's spam protection or scam-call labeling in its app or account settings.
  2. Enable caller ID and spam protection in the phone app.
  3. Block suspicious numbers from the recent-calls list.
  4. Report confirmed spam through the phone app and your carrier.
  5. If built-in controls aren't enough, consider a reputable call-blocking app.
  6. Use unknown-caller screening or silence features if repeated calls are disrupting your day.
  7. Add doctors, schools, delivery services, employers, and other expected callers to your contacts.

Silencing unknown callers can hide legitimate calls from numbers you haven't saved. If you use that feature, check voicemail regularly.

iPhone

On current iPhones, open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone. Review the options for call screening, silencing unknown callers, call identification, and spam filtering. Apple also provides options to block individual callers and to move carrier-identified spam or fraud calls to a Spam list.

Available features vary by iOS version, carrier, and region. Follow Apple's instructions for managing unknown callers and confirm what a setting will do before you turn on automatic silencing.

Android

In the Phone by Google app, open Settings and look for Caller ID and spam or a similarly named option. You may be able to show warnings about suspected spam, filter spam calls, and report a number after the call.

Selected Android devices also offer Call Screen. It can ask an unknown caller to identify themselves before your phone rings, and some supported devices show a real-time transcript. Availability depends on the phone, software version, and country. See Google's caller ID and spam protection instructions and its Call Screen guidance.

Google says some caller ID and spam-protection features may require information about calls to be sent to Google. Review the feature's privacy details before turning it on.

Reduce unwanted calls on a home phone

The right option depends on how your home phone connects:

The FTC notes that blocking software and devices can stop many scam calls and illegal robocalls, but they won't identify every unwanted caller correctly.

What to do when a robocall gets through

A robocall uses an automated system to deliver a prerecorded message. If one reaches you:

  1. Hang up if the message asks for money, account credentials, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a verification code.
  2. Don't call back using the number in the message or on caller ID.
  3. Don't confirm personal details just because the caller knows your name or part of your address.
  4. If the call claims to be from a bank, government agency, delivery company, or employer, find the organization's number independently.
  5. Save the voicemail, call log, and any text message connected with the call.
  6. Block and report the number through your phone and carrier.

A real organization may still use an automated system, so a recording alone doesn't prove fraud. The request and the verification method matter more than the displayed identity.

Caller ID spoofing makes familiar numbers unreliable

Caller ID spoofing uses false information to make a call appear to come from another number or name. A local area code, your own number, or a familiar company name can be fabricated.

Don't use the displayed number to verify a caller. Open the official app, use a number from a bill or card, or type the organization's known website into your browser instead of following a link or callback number in the message. The Robocalls and Caller ID Spoofing explainer also advises consumers not to call back numbers supplied by suspicious callers.

Apps advertised for hiding your identity, spoofing another person's caller ID, or flooding a phone with calls aren't spam-control tools. Avoid downloading them or entering your phone number into them. They can expose your information, violate provider rules, or facilitate harassment and fraud.

Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry

The FTC's National Do Not Call Registry lets consumers opt out of most legal telemarketing calls. It's useful for reducing sales calls, but it isn't a complete spam-call filter.

The registry doesn't guarantee that illegal robocalls will stop. It also has exceptions. For example, the FTC says a company may be allowed to call for up to 18 months after you last did business with it. Political calls, charitable solicitations, surveys, and other categories may follow different rules.

Registering your number is only one step. Keep using carrier and phone-level blocking, especially for calls that appear designed to steal information or money.

Report repeated or suspicious calls

Reporting helps agencies and providers identify patterns, though it may not stop the next call immediately. Gather these details first:

Report the call through your carrier or phone app. For suspected fraud, use the reporting instructions in the FTC's unwanted-call guidance. The FCC also accepts complaints involving suspected illegal robocalls and spoofing; the robocall and spoofing guidance describes that process.

Don't publish the scammer's number or your own call records publicly without removing personal information. If the caller made a credible threat, contact local law enforcement and preserve the original messages.

Why spam calls may continue

Even after you block a number, calls can continue because:

Treat blocking as a layered process: enable protection, report confirmed spam, and verify important calls independently.

A practical response plan

Use this sequence when an unwanted call arrives:

Before the next call, turn on your carrier's spam filter, check your phone's unknown-caller settings, and keep a verified contact list for expected callers.