The Modern Man’s Guide to Stopping Spam Calls for Good

3 minute read

Spam calls can be a real hassle to deal with, especially when you may have had your number for so long and therefore have accrued quite a few spam interactions through phone calls and messages.

Stopping spam calls in 2026 requires a multi-layered approach, combining legal registration and carrier-level blocking. As well as the use of apps to help manage these spam numbers effectively.

Here’s a modern man’s guide to stopping spam calls for good, or at least mitigating the risk of getting them as much as possible.

Register with the National ‘Do Not Call’ lists

This should be the first, mandatory step you take in order to stop any legal and compliant telemarketers from getting in touch. This varies depending on where you are in the world. If you’re located in the USA, for example, you’ll want to register your mobile and landline at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

In the UK, you’ll register with the Telephone Preference Service at tpsonline.org.uk or text TPS with your email address to 85095.

It’s important to remember that this won’t stop illegal scam artists, but it will significantly reduce your marketing calls.

Activate native carrier and phone filters

Modern phones and carriers will have built-in AI, and that can be increasingly effective when it comes to stopping a lot of scam calls from coming through.

For Android, you can go to settings and select Call ID & Spam. For iPhone, go to Settings, Phone, and then Toggle Silence Unknown Callers to send non-contact numbers to voicemail automatically.

Be sure to call your mobile provider, too, or use their app to activate network-level blocking where available.

Use third-party blocking apps

There are plenty of third-party blocking apps that are worth thinking about, too, when it comes to protecting yourself from spam and scam calls.

A few examples to consider are Truecaller, Robokiller, and Hiya. Again, what’s available will depend on where you’re located.

Play the silent defense 

The silent defense is a good strategy to approach when it comes to scam calls. If it’s important, then any calls you don’t recognize will leave a voicemail. Answering tells the robots or person that your number is active, and that can lead to more calls as a result.

Avoid speaking or pressing any buttons. Instead, just hang up immediately, even if it feels rude to do so.

You can use 7726 for both the US and the UK to report any spam calls or spam text messages. This can help carriers block these numbers.

Try to keep your number private where possible and avoid giving it out via online forms where possible.

When you implement these steps, especially the use of carrier-level blocking and using dedicated apps, these can all help to dramatically reduce the amount of spam calls you get. Always be vigilant of unknown numbers and try to avoid answering them unless you’re expecting calls, especially those with no caller IDs.