Applies to: Anyone with a phone line.
Updated May 2018 to include anyone with a mobile phone too!
Sadly we live in a time where there are loads of spam phone calls. While we can’t avoid them all, there are some things we can do to stop some of them…
Here are my top tips for blocking spam calls before they ring your phone…

  1. Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). It’s free and registers your number on the official list which anyone making marketing calls from the UK must not call. It doesn’t stop people calling you from outside the UK or organisations who break the law, so it’s not foolproof, but it’s a good place to start.
    http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/
  2. Some websites suggest making your number ex-directory. But of course, this can affect friends or family getting in touch with you if they have lost your number / lost touch with you. [I once had a call from one of my mum’s friends who lives in France, my parents’ number was ex-directory but mine wasn’t so I was able to help.] You need to contact your phone line provider and ask for this to be done on your account.
  3. Filling out forms which ask for your phone number, make sure you check/uncheck the box that says something like “We can contact you/pass your number on to select organisations”. Make sure you read it carefully, sometimes you have to opt-out and sometimes you have to opt-in to these things. It’s all very confusing…
  4. Talk to your phone line provider to see if they offer something called “Call Protect” or “Call Guardian”, this works in the same way as a spam filter on your emails, where some junk calls will get diverted to an answer phone system so you don’t have to speak to a person but if one gets diverted by mistake they can leave you a message. Remember if they ask you to ring them back and leave a number check this number from another location (for example if a ‘bank’ leaves a message, look up the bank phone number on their website), this stops you ringing a scam phone number back again.
    BT and PlusNet offer this service along with a few other providers so it could be worth giving yours a ring to find out if they offer it.
    Lots of mobile phone service providers offer this service too but some might charge you to add this to your contract. Give them a call first and see what they can offer you. In the grand scheme of things, paying a few extra pounds a month might save you the stress of dealing with spam phone calls!
  5. For mobile phones, you can download an app from your app store. Here’s a few recommended for mobile phones:
    Truecaller: Caller ID & Dialer (Android and iPhone)
    Hiya – Caller ID & Block (Android and iPhone)
    Should I Answer? (Android and iPhone)
    Norton Mobile Security – this app has a call blocking feature as well as all the other security features so if you already have it installed, make sure call blocking is switched on.

Got any other tips to share? Drop them in the comments below.
Remember, if a spam call (or a call you think is spam) does get through, take five and hang up.
Stay Safe
Mike πŸ™‚
With thanks to https://help2.talktalk.co.uk/how-do-i-manage-nuisance-calls
Added to the Playlist of music, Blondie, Hanging on the Telephone! What else could it be πŸ™‚ Or maybe it could have been “Call Me” by Blondie…  I’ve added both just to be sure…