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It can be frustrating to deal with a bunch of unwanted calls. If you answer them, you might hear a recorded message of someone trying to sell you something. Or it could be a real person hoping to scare you into paying a debt you don't owe. These kinds of unwanted calls are often scams. Taking steps to stop them can help save you time and unnecessary stress — and maybe some money, too.

The FTC has created a trilogy of short videos to help you keep unwanted calls from ever reaching your phone. In these videos, you'll learn about what technologies you can use to block these calls from your cellphone and landline. You'll also find out how to stop getting calls from fake numbers.

 

How to Stop Calls on My Mobile Phone video

How to Stop Calls on My Home Phone video

How to Stop Calls From Fake Numbers video

To learn more about how to stop unwanted calls and how to report them to the FTC, check out ftc.gov/calls.

Search Terms
robocall
Topics
Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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The Shadow
August 07, 2020
The FTC should do an investigation into phony loan companies and agents that pose for them. There are hundreds of them on the internet taking advantage of people these days who are unable to pay their bills. They ask for personal information and often for advance payment by untraceable gift cards.
Kjn19
August 10, 2020
What I am getting lately are many calls with spoofed numbers at least 3 a day. I block them but doesn’t matter These stoped but have started again
Ev
August 07, 2020
How do we stop unwanted, scam texts?
samanthaf63
August 07, 2020
This is all old info and not much help. Unless they prosecute these people, they won't stop calling. And there's nothing for landlines.
Pokey
August 07, 2020
Thats just great you help CELL PHONES ONLY. What about the rest of us who have LAND LINES? You have done NOTHING to protect us from these SPOOFED numbers or their scams. IT gets OLD reporting them, it takes over 30 mins to get thru them all. You COULD make reporting EASIER TOO. How about ADD ANOTHER NUMBER before hanging up and going thru all that over and over again.? You COULD provide that as an option and prob get MORE ppl reporting. I think that is DELIBERATE so you get less reports, you dont have to do anything about it, not that big of problem.....NOT TRUE. THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM. You could FINE phone companies for "ALLOWING" the spoofing Ap to go thru. There are ALOT MORE THINGS you COULD do but DONT! Im SO FRUSTRATED. ITs effecting peoples MENTAL HEALTH. ITS creating MORE ANXIETY in our society as a whole. NOBODY answers their phones anymore. WHATS THE POINT of having a phone with you at all times if you cant even answer it? FCC NEEDS TO DO BETTER! THIS HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG ALREADY. FCC STOP THESE CALLS. ALSO your capcha SUCKS. 18 clicks to send this? REALLY?
FTC Staff
August 10, 2020

In reply to by Pokey

The second video has information about unwanted calls & land lines.

Go to www.FTC.gov/Calls for more help with unwanted calls..

Don't use your…
August 07, 2020
Your suggestions make the nuisance worse. Simplify the process please!
JOAN
August 07, 2020
Wish I could just keep reading not have to watch 3 videos, interrupt others, interrupt my mystery move, unable to cut and paste.
unwanted text …
August 07, 2020
Can you discover how to block unwanted text messages that come from an unknown email address? I am continually receiving vulgar messages that are linked to a series of phone numbers and since they are from an email, I cannot block them on my android phone. It only allows me to block phone numbers.
Cindy
August 07, 2020
My latest call was from "Wells Fargo" (Sure it was!) promising me Total Debt Forgiveness if I would just punch no.1 to talk to a customer service agent. I pray no one fell for that!
chip Don't use…
August 10, 2020
How do we stop these unwanted calls? They keep coming sometime four times an hour eating-up my mobile battery life. Chip
Abraham Blesse…
August 08, 2020
Thanks for for very splendid education. Now I have understanding while you put restrictions in place to effectively guide your clients.
JOANIE45
August 10, 2020
I GET ANYWHERE FROM 8 TO 12 CALLS A DAY. THESE RANGE FROM supposed IRS, CAR WARRENTY, CREDITD CARD RATE REDUCTION, POWER COMPANY CHANGE, AND OTHERS I CAN'T THINK OF NOW.
Hoa.Nam
August 10, 2020
Ok
jMar LU
August 10, 2020
GET 3 to 12 calls per day! I am so sick of them. I block numbers but new ones continually keep calling. PLEASE do something!!!!
AGEJ
August 11, 2020
This advice doesn't help at all. Finding a safe app is not easy and can make things worse. A while back, I used an app that was recommended by many tech and media sources. It didn't work and I seemed to get way more calls. News later came out the developers were selling user's information. Now my children are receiving calls about their car warranty and credit cards. They only started receiving them after I set up a Google email account for them. I think the FTC should look into why these companies are selling our information, how much they're making off it and make them give that money back to their users/ consumers.
Lucky
August 11, 2020
I keep getting voice messages from a computer support co. With number options, 1.get help, 2. Refund money, etc, hurry, we are going out of business, etc . Unable to block, deleted ok but they call again.
Pano kolakivo
August 14, 2020
National disability call me! They asked me for my bank acct info They say if I don't give info they would cancel my social security payments. But I don't have social security payments yet. They keep calling me and calling me..... What can I do???
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