How do I stop robocalls and spam calls?

Concerns & risks

Your phone rings five times a day with spam calls about car warranties and fake prizes. You've stopped answering anything.

Answering or pressing buttons tells scammers your number is live.

Causes & evidence

The Do Not Call Registry stops legit telemarketers; scammers ignore it, so you also need blocking. See robocalls and Do Not Call.

What to do

1. Register your number free at DoNotCall.gov.
2. Turn on your phone's spam filter (Silence Unknown Callers on iPhone, Caller ID & spam on Android).
3. Turn on your carrier's free call-blocking app or setting.
4. Don't press 1 or 'remove me'. Just hang up and report at DoNotCall.gov.

Common mistakes: Common mistakes: pressing a number to 'get removed' or talking to the caller, which can confirm your number is active. Register on the Do Not Call list, use carrier blocking, and report bad calls.

Speed Man tip: Your number on the registry for 31 days and still getting sales calls? Those callers are breaking the rules; report them.

Wrap-up: Register at DoNotCall.gov. Use phone and carrier spam blocking. Never press buttons on robocalls; report them.