You can get "revenge" on spam callers through legal action, using automated tools to waste their time and resources, or by using personal, often humorous, tactics to frustrate them.
To report an illegal robocall:
“You can sue [robocallers] under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the TCPA, which is a statute enacted in 1991 by Congress to try and combat these robocalls,” says says Todd M. Friedman, a consumer law attorney in Woodland Hills, California. “It's $500 or $1,500 per call.”
Creative and Hilarious Ways to Shut Down Telemarketers and Spam Callers
Favorite ways to annoy scammers?
You're helping stop the scam for everyone. You have a few options to report suspected smishing: Forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). This works with most major U.S. carriers and helps them block scam numbers.
All seemingly innocent and the person on the other line may even be a robo-caller and not a real person. What they do is record you saying "Yes". Scammers then use the recorded "yes" to confirm authorization of a major purchase on your credit or debit card.
Dialing *77 activates Anonymous Call Rejection, blocking incoming calls from private or blocked numbers on landlines and some mobile services, making anonymous callers hear a message that you don't accept their calls. To turn it off, dial *87, and remember that this feature only blocks intentionally hidden numbers, not calls marked as "Unavailable" or "Out of Area," and can sometimes route to emergency services in certain areas or for specific carriers, so check with your provider.
For illegal scam calls, pressing 9 can actually increase the number of calls you receive. The safest way to stop telemarketing calls legally is by leveraging your legal rights. Register on the National Do Not Call Registry and understand the TCPA and state-specific rules.
It's much better to block spam calls and report them as spam rather than just deleting them, as blocking prevents future calls from that number and trains your carrier's filters, while deleting or declining just confirms your number is active, making you a target for more calls. Deleting or declining shows scammers your number is a valid, active mobile line, increasing your risk for more calls and potential fraud, so use built-in phone features, carrier services, or third-party apps to block unknown callers and mark spam.
You can place yourself on the Do Not Call list, which is a federal government-regulated service that makes it unlawful for telemarketers to contact numbers on the list. While the Do Not Call Registry can't actually block calls from going to your number, it can give you grounds to get some legal revenge if they do call.
The FCC has proposed repealing the existing requirement that businesses stop robocalls and telemarketing calls when asked to do so. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), businesses that don't stop robocalling when asked can be forced in court to pay up to $1,500 for each illegal call.
Any information you provide will help stop the scammers. Report the number that received the call, the number on your caller ID, and any number they told you to call back. Also report the exact date and time of the call, if you know it.
The star code *60 is used by many network providers to help block spam calls. Simply dial *60 and follow the instructions to block either the most recent number or a specific number. Check with your provider to see if they offer this service. The star code *77 automatically rejects blocked or unidentified numbers.
Why am I getting so many spam calls? If you have answered a number of robocalls, it may be because the spam caller sold your number to other scammers or telemarketing companies. Remember, if the call is important enough, the caller will leave a voicemail message.
People get suspicious of calls with hidden caller IDs and are more likely to reject them, even without spam labeling. They can also use *69 dialing to call you back and confront you about hiding your number.
The National Do Not Call Registry helps you reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive. Stop unwanted sales calls by registering your phone number: Online: Visit DoNotCall.gov. By phone: Call 1-888-382-1222 or TTY: 1-866-290-4236.
If you want to disable it, simply dial #632#. The #662# spam blocker can be helpful in preventing spam calls on iPhone and Android devices, but it has its limitations. First, this spam-blocking method is only for T-Mobile users and won't work for customers of other carriers.
But you can sue for unwanted phone calls. Taking legal action against telemarketers will usually involve retaining a lawyer who is experienced in filing TCPA lawsuits. Because the TCPA is a federal law, generally the lawsuits will be filed in federal court.
This Vertical Service Code, *82, enables calling line identification regardless of subscriber preference, dialed to unblock withheld numbers (private callers) in the U.S. on a per-call basis.
How to block every incoming call. incoming calls to your line: *35*0000#.
Call trace allows you to dial the code *57 to trace the phone number of a call that was received. This service is used to trace harassing calls which warrant law enforcement or legal action. If you do not intend to take legal action, then an alternative is to use Call Return with *69.
Robocalls sometimes prompt you to take action, such as “press 1 to speak to a live representative” or “press 2 to unsubscribe” and so on. By following instructions, you confirm to the robocallers that you are a potential victim and invite further robocalls. Try to avoid taking any action.
The bottom line: In most cases, simply answering a spam or robocall won't put you at serious risk. As a rule of thumb, never provide information, money, or access to anyone who calls you. If in doubt, always hang up and contact the company or agency directly using the contact information provided on its website.
If you accidentally answer a spam call, scammers know your number is connected to a real person and can target you with more spam calls. These targeted spam calls will try to trick you into giving up your personal information which allows cybercriminals to steal your money, your identity and even your voice.