There were 178,040 fraud reports in the forest quarter of the year, according to the Federal Trade Commission, with the top contact method for fraudsters being phone calls; here’s how iPhone users can block unwanted numbers, private numbers and contacts.
Blocking spam callers on iPhone can be done manually or automatically using third-party ... [+]
Blocking numbers on an iPhone stops the user from receiving messages or phone calls from the select number.
If an unknown number calls, users can manually block those callers through their recent call log or by using a third-party call-blocking application, such as Hiya, RoboKiller or Truecaller.
The FTC has a Do Not Call Registry for people to opt out of having telemarketers contact their phone numbers.
iPhone users can check the running list of their blocked contacts through iPhone settings.
To block recent callers on iPhone, go to the Phone app, press the information icon next to the phone number, which is indicated by the circled letter i, and opt to block the number by selecting the Block this Caller tab at the bottom. To block a contact on iPhone, go to the Phone app, select Contacts, click on the contact that you are trying to block and press Block this Caller, which will be at the bottom of the screen. To see blocked numbers on an iPhone, navigate to the device’s settings, go to Phone and select Blocked Contacts. Swift through the list and select certain phone numbers to see previous phone calls or texts from the blocked number.
Hiya is a free app that detects fraudulent phone calls and automatically blocks those numbers. RoboKiller, which is available for free in the app store, can determine if calls are spam within one second and reject them, assess spam texts and remove users’ personal identifiers and allow users to set up Answer Bots to distract spam callers. Truecaller is an app that auto-blocks spam calls and text messages and is available for individual users and businesses.