What are scam calls and how can you block them?

Brits are being bombarded with scam calls and texts. A 2024 survey stated that 48% of UK landline users had received a suspicious call in the previous three months. These calls aren't just annoying — if answered, they can lead to issues like financial loss, identity theft, and reputational damage.

To try and combat this problem, cell phone carriers and manufacturers have implemented features to help flag or block scam callers. Beyond provider-level solutions, you can also use dedicated apps and services to help identify and block unwanted calls. 

What are scam calls?

Scam calls are fraudulent phone calls in which scammers attempt to trick you into handing over money, personal information, or account access. They typically impersonate trusted organisations — such as banks, government agencies, or well-known companies — to make their approach seem credible.

Why am I getting scam calls?

If you suddenly receive a lot of unwanted calls, it’s possible that scammers found your personal information through a data leak, data breach, people-search site, or other public records source. Here’s a breakdown of how scammers might get your phone number:

• Online directories
• People-search sites
• Data leaks
• Data breaches
• Social media accounts
• Phishing attacks
• Spoofed website forms
• Random dialling

Thankfully, you can subscribe to services like Norton 360 Deluxe that scan the dark web for exposure of your personal info and notify you if anything is found. It also includes an AI-powered scam assistant to help you stay protected from text and web scams.

Why are my calls getting marked as suspected scam?

Some phone providers use technology like AI and machine learning, caller ID and call pattern analysis, and user feedback to determine if a caller is a scammer. If your number is flagged as possible spam, your phone carrier may have detected some odd activity coming from your number or received reports from other users about your calls.

Here are some activities and issues that could be giving your contacts the wrong idea:

• Your calls are only a few seconds long.
• You dial a lot of phone numbers in a short amount of time.
• You repeatedly re-dial the same number/s.
• The people you call keep sending you to voicemail or flagging your number as spam or a possible scam.
• A scammer used to have your number or is now using it for caller ID spoofing.
• Your phone carrier has outdated or incorrect caller ID information for you on file.

Types of possible scam calls

Calls that appear to be scams may just be nuisance telemarketing calls or robocalls, or they could be outright scam calls seeking to defraud you or steal your identity. Let’s dive into the different kinds of potential scam calls you might get.

Legal automated calls

While automated calls are legal, they are tightly regulated. A legal automated call is a pre-recorded message sent to a large number of phone numbers without human intervention. In order to receive these calls, you must have given specific prior consent to receive automated as well as live calls.

Illegal automated calls

While these are also automated, they are fraudulent and made without prior consent. They often come from scammers attempting to trick recipients into providing personal information, buying fake products or services, or speaking (the scammer records their voice to use it fraudulently).

Telemarketing

A telemarketing call is an unsolicited call from a salesperson at a call centre. These calls usually involve attempts to sell products or services. They’re only legal if the recipient previously consented to receiving them. But, some scammers aim to trick people out of money using a telemarketing-style call. 

Scam calls

Scam calls usually fall under the umbrella of impersonation scams. Scammers often claim to be with the government, tech support, charities, or another trusted entity. These callers may be demanding; sell you a dream, solution, or a sob story; and can call from an unfamiliar number or a spoofed number.

How to block possible scam calls

You can block scam calls individually after the fact, or you can use third-party apps and call filtering features on your phone to help stop them from coming through in the first place.

Block scam callers on iPhone

If you receive a scam or spam call on your iPhone, here’s how to block the number:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Find the Scam Likely call in Recents.
3. Tap the “i” next to the number.
4. Scroll down and tap Block Caller. 
5. Tap Block Contact to stop them from calling you again.

You can also help block scams by stopping all unknown calls from getting through to your iPhone. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings, then Phone.
2. Scroll down and tap Silence Unknown Callers.
3. Toggle the switch next to silence unknown numbers and they’ll be sent straight to voicemail. 

Block scam callers on Android

If you receive a scam or spam call on your Android, here’s how to block the number:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Go to Recents.
3. Tap the number you want to block.  
4. Select the “i” icon beside or beneath the phone number.
5. Tap Block and confirm if necessary. 

Note that the steps may vary depending on your Android device.

To help prevent spam and scam callers from getting through in the first place, activate the built-in spam filters:

1. Open the Phone app.  
2. Tap the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner.  
3. Go to Settings > Caller ID and spam protection.
4. Turn on See caller and spam ID and Filter spam calls.

More ways to stop scam calls

Instead of just relying on your phone’s features to block spam or scam calls, you can also:

• Try mobile carrier tools: Leveraging additional features like call filtering and blocking can reduce the number of scam calls you receive. See what your mobile carrier has to offer.
• Check the number: If you suspect a number might be a scammer, search for it online to see if it belongs to a legitimate company or service before answering.
• Remove your number from online lists: Doing this can limit how many people can find your personal information and contact you. Subscribe to Norton 360 Deluxe to help monitor and control your personal info, including your phone number.
• Download spam and robocall blocking apps: Many apps like Truecaller or Nomorobo offer advanced spam and robocall blocking features.
• Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS): This can help stop legitimate companies and telemarketers from calling you. It may not be the strongest defence against anyone willing to break the law, but it could keep some scammers away.
• Report scam phone calls: Notify authorities and help protect others by reporting scam calls to ActionFraud.

Help keep scammers at bay

Knowing not to answer possible scam calls and how to help block scammers is a great start. But there’s no way to guarantee a scam call won’t still slip through.

Norton 360 Deluxe is a comprehensive online security suite that scans for the use of your personal info and alerts you if your personal information appears on the dark web. It also offers advanced features such as anti-scam protection and a VPN to help keep your personal information safe while browsing online.