Many people are still plagued by unwanted phone calls. The Fraud Helpdesk recently warned against suspicious phone calls, stating that your citizen service number (BSN) is being misused or that you have a warrant for your arrest. What can you do about these spam calls? We list four options.
1. Block numbers….
The most obvious way to prevent unwanted callers in the future is to simply block the numbers. On an Android phone, you do this by opening the Phone app and going to the Recent to go. Press and hold your finger on the number you want to block and choose Block spam report. Incidentally, the way or the wording may differ slightly per android device.
On a iPhone go to the Phone app and tap the tab Recent. There is an i icon next to the number you want to block. Tap on that and choose at the bottom for Block this caller. Although this does not stop professional spammers, because they use different numbers every time, it does prevent you from being called by customer services, charities or other institutions in the future.
2. … Or Ignore
You can also basically ignore calls from unwanted callers. The iPhone has an option built in for this. Go to the Settings app and choose the menu Telephone. Here you will find the option Silence unknown callers, which you can turn on. You will then not receive calls from unknown callers, although they will appear in your Recent list. You can still block them here.
An Androidsmartphone can in many cases recognize whether you receive a spam call. At Samsung, for example, this is called the Smart Call option. This already makes it easier to block unwanted callers. In your Phone app, you can tap the three vertical dots in the top right and then Institutions to tap. Bee Filter Caller ID and Spam Calls you can ignore calls marked as spam by your phone. Here too, the wording may differ slightly per smartphone.
3. Report nuisance
You can often report unwanted callers to your provider. KPN says it is starting an investigation into the person who is harassing you. For that you have to a form fill. Ziggo only states after five conversations an investigation after answering some questions. The provider must help you, according to ACM. On the website of the supervisor you can download sample letter, in which you ask the telecom company for the name and address of the anonymous caller.
4. Request new number
If the above options do not help and you still receive frequent calls, you can consider requesting a new number. This is kind of a last resort, of course. Requesting a new number often costs nothing and you do not need to receive another SIM card. You can often choose from several phone numbers selected by the provider.
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