If you’ve ever wondered about how to annoy scam callers on your phone, this post is for you. In it, we’ll discuss Silence Unknown Callers blockers, Priority Ringing, and Call blocking.
Once you’ve read this article, you’ll be armed with the knowledge to take the right action. We’ll also discuss the best ways to ignore annoying callers on your phone. Let’s dive right in 🙂
If you’re sick and tired of ignoring scammers and other annoying callers, there are ways to snub them right from your phone. While modern smartphones come with built-in features to block spam calls, you can manually add a caller to a blocked list, which you can do with a few clicks.
Samsung phones, for example, come with database-driven anti-spam features that will filter unwanted callers from your phone. The official body regulating communications services in the UK is Ofcom. You can complain/ report annoying scam callers on your phone here.
Here are more tips to help you annoy scam callers on your phone…
How to Annoy Scam Callers on Your Phone: Silence Unknown Callers
Silence Unknown Callers is one of the many applications available for iPhone users to annoy scam callers on their phones. The program automatically blocks unknown numbers, and only ring those in your recent calls or contacts. This feature is also helpful for medical professionals who use separate numbers to make return calls. Besides blocking prank calls, Silence Unknown Callers can also help you block spam calls. You can enable the program in the Phone settings of your iPhone.
Silence Unknown Callers is available for iPhones running iOS 13 or later. It blocks calls from unknown phone numbers in your call list and sends them to voicemail, so you never receive an obnoxious unknown call. You can turn this feature on or off in Settings or Phone, depending on your device. Be sure your contacts list is updated so that you can easily find them.
To block a number on your Android phone, you can open the Phone app and select recent calls. Once there, tap the number you want to block or report as spam. To add or remove a blocked number, tap the same command again. If you don’t have any recent calls or call history on your device, you can manually add the numbers.
Depending on your device and operating system, the steps for blocking a number may vary.
How to Annoy Scam Callers on Your Phone: Priority Ringing
What is Priority Ringing? It is an increased level of processing priority for a telecommunications network. A priority call may have several levels of priority, including precedence over other traffic. Priority Ring is a brand name for the calling feature, which gives certain numbers a distinctive ring.
Your business or employer may have subscribed to one such service, which you may have access to.
As an alternative to Priority Ringing, you can turn on Priority Mode on your Android phone. This feature allows you to silence your phone when you are in an important meeting or are trying to sleep. It also blocks notifications from apps and contacts except for the ones you want to receive. On how to annoy scam callers on your phone, Priority Mode is a great way to do just that while you are working.
The settings for this feature vary depending on your Android device, so you should follow the directions carefully.
How to Annoy Scam Callers on Your Phone: Anonymous Call Rejection (ACR)
Another solution on how to annoy scam callers on your phone is using Anonymous Call Rejection (ACR). This service works in the same way as Caller ID. It forces harassers to give their number or go to a payphone. ACR is a free or low-cost feature that is available with your local phone service for a small fee. Ask your phone service provider for details.
This service will then send a text to the person’s phone asking them to leave a message.
If your phone is being flooded with unwanted calls, block their numbers. Major mobile providers have begun using new technology to stop annoying callers. SHAKEN/STIR technology helps carriers to verify the caller’s identity and weed out spoofed local area codes, which robocallers often use to impersonate local numbers.
While this has not officially started here in the UK, there are talks of implementing a UK SHAKEN/STIR technology very soon, so watch this space!
Silence Unknown Callers: Another option for blocking spam calls on your phone is to install the Silence Unknown Callers app, which automatically blocks unknown callers. It can be activated in Settings > Phone> Silence Unknown Callers. To prevent unknown callers from interrupting your calls, you can install Silence Unknown Callers on your iPhone. This will block unwanted callers and send them to voicemail.
How to Annoy Scam Callers on Your Phone: Call Blocking
You can block annoying callers on your phone with a few simple steps. Depending on your phone’s Android version, you can block specific numbers by long-pressing them or going into the contact list. In some cases, you may also be able to block a number from several contacts at once. If you’d like to block a specific number from multiple contacts, you might consider using a dedicated app.
In some cases, those annoying scam callers will try to contact you anyway, but you can always block them with a few clicks. To do this, you have to enable the call blocking feature in your phone’s settings.
In most cases, you can block a number by pressing the ‘3’ button or by entering the area code. Once the number is blocked, it will remain in the telephone blocked list directory until you manually remove it or deactivate it.
Another option is to use Truecaller, a free caller ID and spam blocking app. Most mobile phone manufacturers offer apps to block telemarketers, and most of them have call blocking capabilities.
You can also try the UK Do Not Call Registry. And limit the number of people you share your number with.
How to Annoy Scam Callers on Your Phone: Reporting calls to the ICO
Many people report annoyances caused by telemarketers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This is the independent regulatory office in charge of upholding information rights in the interest of the public in the UK.
Increasing technology has made it easy for scammers to use fake caller ID and get away with it. Luckily, by reporting annoying callers to the ICO, you can help the commission track down scammers and stop their unsolicited calls and fight against the growing number of scams.
To stop receiving unwanted scam/ sales calls, you can download a call-blocking app. As discussed earlier, these are often free and will send unwanted calls to your voicemail or block them entirely. These apps are available for both Android and iPhones.
How to Block Spam Calls on Android and iPhone: Video
There are many reasons why you should report annoying callers to the ICO. The ICO will investigate the claims against telemarketers and penalise those who use false information. You will then be notified of their decision.
It’s important to know that the ICO is working with the telecommunications industry to combat illegal robocalls. In addition, it’s mandated that phone companies use call-blocking technology in their networks. This has helped reduce the number of spam calls.
However, scammers still try to find new methods to con UK consumers. Reporting your nuisance calls to the ICO is a good way to protect your loved ones and yourself from annoying scam callers.
How do you frustrate spammers?
1. Hang up the phone when a caller does not speak.
2. Keep your cool when answering such calls.
3. Use the RoboKiller app. It blocks telemarketing calls without your knowledge, wasting the time and resources of the spammers - not yours! RoboKiller includes an Answer Bots feature that automatically answers spam calls, wasting their time.
4. Report spammers to the ICO.
By following these tips, you will soon stop receiving annoying calls from spammers and other callers.
What do you say to scam callers?
1. Generally, the best way to deal with scammers is to hang up and report them to the police.
2. Keep your computer and bank details safe. Never give out any sensitive/ personal information over the phone, such as your bank details or passwords.
3. Wait for them to speak first. Especially if there's no caller ID or it's an unknown caller. This is so you don't miss important calls you actually need to answer, such as your GP calls.
Scammers have become clever in their calls, and they can easily hide their caller IDs to make it seem like a legitimate company.
4. Report them to Action Fraud.
5. Don't reply to text messages.
6. Never download attachments from unscrupulous callers.
