The increase in telephone fraud shows that answering calls from unknown numbers can result in financial loss, identity theft, and personal data breaches. The increase in unwanted calls, telephone fraud, and identity theft strategies has made telephone spam a daily concern. Knowing how to detect these attempts before answering can prevent financial risks and protect your privacy. Currently, mobile devices include systems to alert you to potential threats and help you make the best decision before answering the call.
What is caller ID and spam protection and how does it work?
Find out how to identify criminal calls in a matter of seconds Most current smartphones, especially those running Android 6.0 or higher, incorporate spam protection and caller ID by default. This system uses updated databases and Google technology to analyse the numbers that call and check if they have been previously reported for suspicious activity. When someone who is not in the phonebook calls, the phone can consult Google to identify the number or check if there are any associated spam reports.
When receiving numbers that are not in the user’s contacts, Google cross-references the information to display warnings on the screen such as ‘Possible spam’ or ‘Spam.’ This information never includes personal contact details or reveals private information. The goal is to warn about calls from companies, aggressive promotions, scammers, or senders with a negative history.
How to ensure that spam protection is active
To ensure that you receive alerts before answering unknown numbers, check your settings by following these steps: Experts recommend checking your security settings, blocking spam numbers, and never sharing confidential information over the phone to protect your privacy and that of your contacts from new forms of identity theft.
- Open the Phone app and go to Settings.
- Go to the Caller ID and spam section.
- Enable the View sender ID and spam function.
On many devices, you can also enable the ‘Filter spam calls’ option, which automatically blocks these calls so they don’t ring or leave a notification, although you can check them later in your history. On some models, such as Pixel 6 and later, the filter is at the basic protection level and works silently. On older devices, it may appear as ‘Silently reject’.
Recognising a spam call before answering
If your phone screen displays the text ‘Possible spam’ or ‘Spam’ next to the number, this is a clear warning that the call may be dangerous. The most prudent thing to do is not to answer and immediately block the number from your call history. You can press and hold the call log and select the option to block and mark as spam. This helps to feed the database and improves accuracy for all users.
Tools for identifying and blocking unwanted calls help to detect fraud and avoid financial or privacy risks by alerting you to possible threats before answering unknown numbers. If, by mistake, the system identifies a legitimate call as spam, such as one from a real contact or institution, you can correct this by accessing recent calls, selecting the call, and clicking Not spam. This way, the system learns and will no longer mark that number in the future.
Additional features for advanced call management
- Caller ID announcement: You can set your phone to announce the sender’s name or number aloud, which is useful if you are using headphones or when your hands are full.
- Verification and comments: from your recent history, you can suggest information about numbers, verify real companies, or help debug the public database. The data sent in these processes does not expose personal information.
- Collective blocking: if you receive frequent calls from the same number, mark it as spam. The system will block future calls and warn other users.
Tips to protect yourself from telephone spam
- Never share personal information, financial details or passwords on incoming calls, even if the call appears to be from a bank or official institution.
- Prefer to leave unknown calls unanswered if the caller ID warns of a potential risk.
- Keep the Phone app and system security features up to date.
- Periodically check the history of filtered calls and correct any errors if you identify legitimate calls.
Recognising spam before answering prevents losses, fraud, and misuse of personal information. Existing automatic tools, combined with a cautious attitude, can dramatically reduce the impact of unwanted calls on your daily routine.
