How do I stop spam calls on my phone?

Built-in call filtering and carrier tools can reduce robocalls without requiring you to answer them.

Turn on your phone’s spam filter, silence unknown callers if appropriate, and report repeat robocalls through your carrier.

Why you’re getting so many

Robocallers dial millions of numbers automatically and disguise — “spoof” — the number you see, so blocking one number rarely helps for long. Answering, or pressing a key to “be removed,” tells their system a real person picked up, and that can earn you even more calls. The goal of the steps below is to let your phone and carrier do the screening for you.

What to do, step by step

1. Turn on your phone’s built-in protection. On iPhone: Settings, then Phone, then “Silence Unknown Callers.” On Android, open the Phone app’s settings and turn on the spam filter under “Caller ID and spam.”
2. Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov. It will not stop criminals, but it cuts calls from legitimate telemarketers.
3. Install your carrier’s free spam-blocking tool — AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all offer one. These flag known robocall numbers before your phone rings.
4. Never engage. Do not press buttons, do not say “yes,” and do not call back. Just hang up — or better, let unknown numbers go to voicemail.
5. If a message claims to be your bank or a government agency, hang up and call the number printed on your card or statement instead. Real agencies do not demand payment or gift cards by phone.