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Spam calls: how to block them with Do Not Call and call screening
How to cut spam and scam calls: the Do Not Call Registry, iPhone and Android call screening, what verified caller ID means and how to report robocalls.
Unknown numbers, silence, a hang-up, or the fifth recorded loan offer this week. Some calls are just a nuisance; others open the door to impostor scams. Free, official tools can cut much of the volume.
Does the Do Not Call Registry still work?
The National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov) stops calls from legitimate telemarketers, not scammers. At the end of fiscal 2025 it held more than 258 million numbers, with about 4.8 million added that year, and the FTC received over 2.6 million complaints, mostly about robocalls, according to the FTC's report to Congress. Top topics: debt reduction, impostors posing as government, businesses or family, and medical or prescription offers. Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How do I screen calls on iPhone and Android?
| Feature | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Unknown Callers (iOS 26) | Settings > Apps > Phone | Silences or asks the caller's reason before ringing |
| Call Screen (Google Pixel) | Phone app settings | Asks who is calling and hangs up on junk |
| Bixby text call (Samsung) | Phone app | Answers by text in a similar way |
Details come from the AP tech tip. The iPhone option needs iOS 26 on an iPhone 11 or newer. Delivery drivers may hang up without answering the prompt.
What does a verified caller ID mean?
Verified caller ID (STIR/SHAKEN) shows that the number was not spoofed. It does not prove the request is legitimate. Brazil's version, Origem Verificada, authenticated 35 billion calls in 2025 and aims to cover all calls by 2028, according to Mobile Time. Brazil also runs an opt-out list, Não Me Perturbe, for telecom and payroll-loan offers (Claro).
Verified caller ID helps when a bank adopts it. Banco do Brasil began using Origem Verificada on calls from its 4003-3001 number in September 2026, and reminds customers that it never asks by phone for passwords, codes, app installs or remote access; its 4004-0001 line only receives calls, so if that number shows up as the caller, hang up (Agência Brasil). A bill passed by Brazil's lower house, PL 352/2025, would also treat rotating numbers, fake caller IDs and systematic sub-three-second calls as abusive practices (Teletime).
Remember the limits of each tool: the registry only binds law-abiding telemarketers, screening can miss some spam, and a verified number tells you who called, not whether the request is honest. Combined, they still filter most of the noise.
What to do
- Register your numbers on donotcall.gov.
- Turn on call screening, including on older relatives' phones.
- Hang up on urgency and call back using the number on your card or app.
- Never share passwords or one-time codes, or install apps at a caller's request.
- Block and report numbers in your phone app and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
See also the FCC plan against robocalls, protection tips, the scam radar and our quiz.
Source
- Claro: Não Me Perturbe, como reduzir ligações indesejadas
- Mobile Time: Origem Verificada autentica 6 bi de chamadas por mês
- Agência Brasil: BB passa a usar origem verificada em ligações
- Teletime: Câmara aprova PL 352/2025
- FTC: 2025 Do Not Call report to Congress
- AP / The Star: iOS 26 call screen feature