Guides
Practical answers for unwanted calls — no fluff, current for 2026.
People Say My Number Called Them — What to Do When Your Number Is Spoofed
Angry strangers calling you back, texts saying "who is this?", voicemails accusing you of robocalling — it means a spam campaign is displaying your number as its fake caller ID. You're not hacked, and it does burn out. Here's what's happening, what the Truth in Caller ID Act and STIR/SHAKEN do about it, and exactly what to do.
Updated 2026-09-03
Debt Collector Calls: Your FDCPA Rights (and How to Spot Fake Collectors)
Real debt collectors are tightly regulated — no calls before 8am or after 9pm, no more than seven call attempts a week, no threats, no lying about what you owe, and you can make the calls stop with one letter. Fake collectors follow no rules at all. Here's your rights under the FDCPA and Regulation F, with the statute and rule citations, and the tells that separate the two.
Updated 2026-09-03
TCPA and Unwanted Calls: Consent, Robocalls and Consumer Rights
A plain-English guide to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act with the statute and FCC rule citations: prerecorded calls, consent and how to revoke it, texts, the National Do Not Call rules, the $500-per-call private right of action, and when to speak to a qualified attorney.
Updated 2026-09-03
How to Block Spam Calls on Verizon: Call Filter, Blocking and What Each Setting Does
Verizon's free Call Filter labels and blocks robocalls at the network level, and My Verizon can block specific numbers outright. Here is how to turn each tool on, what 'Potential Spam' means, when the paid tier is worth it, and what to do about the calls that still get through.
Updated 2026-09-03
How to Block Spam Calls on AT&T: ActiveArmor, Spam Risk Labels and Number Blocking
AT&T blocks known fraud calls automatically and labels the rest 'Spam Risk' through its free ActiveArmor service. This guide covers turning on the extra controls, blocking numbers and whole categories of calls, what the Advanced tier adds, and the fixes for AT&T home phone.
Updated 2026-09-03
How to Block Spam Calls on T-Mobile: Scam Shield, #662# and Scam Block Explained
T-Mobile labels suspicious calls 'Scam Likely' for every customer and will block them outright if you dial #662# or flip one switch in the Scam Shield app. Here is how Scam ID, Scam Block, free caller ID and the PROXY number work, what Premium adds, and how Metro customers get the same protection.
Updated 2026-09-03
How to Block Spam Calls on iPhone: Silence Unknown Callers, Call Screening and Carrier Labels
iPhone has four layers of spam-call defense built in — blocking a number, silencing every unknown caller, screening unknown callers before the phone rings, and carrier or third-party call identification. This guide walks through each, in the order that gives the most relief for the least disruption.
Updated 2026-09-03
What Does "Scam Likely" Mean? How Carrier Call Labels Are Decided (and When They're Wrong)
"Scam Likely" is T-Mobile's verdict on a call, not the caller's name — the network scored the calling pattern behind the number and decided it looks like fraud. Here is how that score is built, how it compares with 'Spam Risk' and 'Potential Spam', why legitimate callers get labeled, and how to get a wrong label removed.
Updated 2026-09-03
Missed Call From an 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888 Number: Should You Call Back?
Calling a toll-free number back costs you nothing — the danger is who answers. Toll-free numbers made up 17% of the FTC's Do Not Call complaints this summer, and half of those were debt-relief robocalls. Here is how to tell a bank's callback line from a boiler room before you dial.
Updated 2026-09-03
Neighbor Spoofing: Why Scam Calls Come From Your Own Area Code (and Sometimes Your Own Number)
Four in ten FTC Do Not Call complaints this summer named a number in the complainant's own area code. That is neighbor spoofing — robocallers faking a local caller ID so you pick up. Here is how it works, what the Truth in Caller ID Act and STIR/SHAKEN do about it, and how to stop it reaching you.
Updated 2026-09-03
Medicare Scam Calls: Free Braces, New Cards, "Plan Reviews" — What Medicare Actually Does by Phone
Medicare does not cold-call to sell plans, offer free equipment or 'verify' your number, yet medical and prescription pitches generated nearly 500 Do Not Call complaints a day this summer, 70% of them robocalls. Here are the current scripts, what Medicare and licensed agents are actually allowed to do, and where to report.
Updated 2026-09-03
Debt-Relief Robocalls: "Lower Your Interest Rate", Student-Loan Forgiveness and Mortgage Help Calls
Debt relief is the single largest subject in the FTC's Do Not Call complaints — 23% of all complaints this summer, 89% of them robocalls, about 1,750 a day. This guide explains the credit-card, student-loan and mortgage scripts, the federal rules that ban the fees they charge, and the free routes that actually reduce a debt.
Updated 2026-09-03
Car Warranty Robocalls: "Your Vehicle's Extended Warranty" — Why They Still Call and What Happened to Them
The 'we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty' robocall became a national joke and then the target of the FCC's largest-ever proposed fine. It is down sharply but not gone — 'warranties & protection plans' still drew over 4,000 Do Not Call complaints this summer. Here is how the scheme works and how to handle it.
Updated 2026-09-03
One-Ring Scam Area Codes: 473, 809, 649, 876 and Wangiri Calls
A one-ring call from 473, 809, 829, 849, 649 or 876 can look domestic because these Caribbean destinations share country code +1. Learn how wangiri callback scams work without treating every call from these legitimate places as fraud.
Updated 2026-07-24
FCC Robocall Enforcement: Fines, STIR/SHAKEN and Provider Blocking
How FCC robocall enforcement actually works—from investigations and forfeiture orders to STIR/SHAKEN, provider blocking and the Robocall Mitigation Database.
Updated 2026-07-24
Why Do 833 Numbers Keep Calling Me? Toll-Free Spam Explained
833 is a toll-free area code, and it's now the most-complained-about code in America: 833 numbers drew more FCC unwanted-call complaints in the last 12 months than any geographic area code. Here's why scammers love toll-free, and what to do about 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833 calls.
Updated 2026-07-17
What Does "Spam Risk" Mean on Caller ID? (And Should You Answer?)
"Spam Risk", "Scam Likely" and "Potential Spam" are labels your carrier attaches when its network analytics flag a caller as probably unwanted. Here's how the labels work, how accurate they are, why legitimate calls sometimes get flagged, and what to do either way.
Updated 2026-07-17
IRS Scam Calls: 7 Things the Real IRS Will Never Say on the Phone
The real IRS almost never cold-calls, and it never demands gift cards, wire transfers or immediate payment under threat of arrest. Here are the seven give-aways of an IRS impersonation call, what the real IRS actually does, and what to do if you already engaged.
Updated 2026-07-17
"Your Social Security Number Has Been Suspended" — The SSA Phone Scam
Social Security numbers cannot be suspended — that single fact defeats the entire scam. Here's how the SSA impersonation call works, the exact script variations in circulation, and what to do if you shared your SSN.
Updated 2026-07-17
Fake Amazon Calls: The "Suspicious Order" Refund Scam Explained
"We're calling about a suspicious charge of $749 on your Amazon account — press 1 to cancel the order." Amazon doesn't make that call. Here's how the fake-order scam escalates from a robocall to remote access to your bank account, and how to shut it down.
Updated 2026-07-17
"This Is Your Bank's Fraud Department" — How the Impersonation Scam Works
The most dangerous phone scam in America right now doesn't ask for money — it asks you to 'verify' a one-time passcode while the scammer resets your account. Here's the fraud-department script, why it beats caller ID, and the one rule that defeats it.
Updated 2026-07-17
How to Report Unwanted Calls to the FCC and FTC (Step by Step)
Reporting a scam call takes three minutes, it's free, and it works better than most people think: complaints become public data that powers blocking tools (including this site), and enforcement cases are built directly on them. Here's exactly where and how to file.
Updated 2026-07-17
Does the Do Not Call Registry Actually Work in 2026?
Yes — but only against the calls that were never your real problem. The National Do Not Call Registry stops legal telemarketers within 31 days and registration never expires; scammers ignore it completely. Here's what it does, what it can't do, and why you should register anyway.
Updated 2026-07-17
That "Wrong Number" Text Isn't an Accident — The Pig-Butchering Scam
"Hey, are we still on for golf Saturday?" from a number you've never seen isn't a mistake — it's the opening move of the most expensive scam operating in America, and text-message complaints in the FCC data we track more than quadrupled between 2019 and 2024. Here's the play and how to respond (don't).
Updated 2026-07-17
How to Block Spam Calls on Android: Built-In Tools, Carrier Apps, and What Actually Works
Android has the best spam-call defenses of any platform — Google's Call Screen literally answers scam calls for you — but most of it ships turned off. Here's the full setup in order of impact: phone settings, carrier tools, and the honest word on third-party apps.
Updated 2026-07-17
How to Stop Robocalls: Every Method That Actually Works (2026)
Robocalls hit Americans over 4 billion times a month. Here's the complete, current playbook: carrier tools, phone settings, the Do Not Call Registry, and what to do when nothing else works.
Updated 2026-07-15
Missed Call From an Unknown Number: Should You Call Back?
A practical decision guide for missed calls from numbers you don't recognize — when a callback is safe, when it's a trap, and how to check a number in 30 seconds.
Updated 2026-07-15