How to Set up Your Smartphone to Track Potential Scammers
Chances are, you’ve had to deal with more than a few unwanted phone calls from telemarketers, robots, and Equifax scammers . But you may have also seen your phone when, faced with a suspicious set of numbers, you identified the call with a phrase like “Potential Fraud” or “Potential Fraud.” This spam protection is provided by your wireless provider, and if you have a compatible device and data plan, you can take advantage of the data-driven service and save yourself from interruptions.
You may well have your own version of spam call protection. It just depends on your wireless carrier. Some carriers, such as T-Mobile and AT&T, offer free spam protection depending on your data plan. Others, like Sprint or Verizon, charge a fee for similar spam identification services, coupled with improved caller ID support under the flag of something like Sprint Premium Caller ID. Either way, you need a smartphone to enable your carrier’s spam call protection features. Depending on your carrier, you may also need to download an app to enable the service, or send a text message to activate it this way.
T-Mobile’s Scam Block service automatically blocks suspicious spam calls, and Scam ID lets you decide whether or not to answer a suspicious robot call. T-Mobile ONE customers should already have Scam ID and Scam Block enabled, while T-Mobile postpaid customers can activate them themselves by calling # 664 # (you can check if services are enabled by dialing # 787 #) …
AT&T customers can enable anti-spam protection on their smartphones by downloading the AT&T app for Android or iOS called “ Call Protect ”. Android users can instead download the AT&T Mobile Security app if they also want to use the company’s anti-malware service, which includes the same features as Call Protect. The app will check and organize calls by category such as Potential Fraud or Telemarketer, allowing you to decide when to accept or block them. The app also allows you to enable manual call blocking so you can enjoy the best of them.
Sprint customers can subscribe to the above-mentioned service P remium Caller ID app Premium Caller ID, which will bring customers an additional $ 2.99 per month (and $ 3 per month for customers with pre-paid, I think, because of capitalism).
Verizon users will also pay extra for the service through the Caller Name ID app for iOS and Android. You can manage your subscription and, if you have an iPhone, manually block contacts. It’s $ 2.99 a month per line, making it an expensive addition to a family plan if you want to keep your entire homestead secure.
Most anti-spam services work by cross-referencing incoming calls with a database of potentially fraudulent phone numbers. T-Mobile’s database, for example, relies on a list of “tens of thousands” of numbers known to be linked to scammers, while Verizon obtains its database from a third party. You can share the numbers that pass, improving the database and preventing anyone else from receiving the same call.
You can always use a paid call blocker app if you don’t want to deal with your wireless carrier. But listen, if it’s free, why not register and unsubscribe from those calls? If a telemarketer walks through a call screen, you can always get rid of it by applying a few tried and true tactics right from the mouth of the marketer.