(depending on the report) made in the States in 2019, it's becoming clear that this plague is threatening to become one of the most common financial scams in the U.S. Although robocalls can be made for legitimate reasons, a massive number of them are illegal. Show
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and all major telephone service providers in the U.S. are coming up with various tactics and tools to fight back against robocalls. Unfortunately, their efforts seem to be focused, or at least show the best results, on mobile devices. Home phones are being increasingly targeted as fraudsters realized that protecting your landline from spam is a bit more challenging at the moment. CenturyLink concentrated on developing solutions that will protect your home phone from robocall harassment. What Are Robocalls?Robocalls are pre-recorded voice messages delivered via phone calls. Robocallers use automated dialers to reach your number. There is no living person on the other end of the line, so you are essentially "talking" to a machine or a robot. Since the technology behind robocalls is relatively cheap and available, many businesses, both honest and fraudulent, turned to robocalls to save money and time. The automated dialers can make hundreds or thousands of calls a day. Whoever runs the operation does not have to establish a whole call center, so headcount drops to just a few people. Internet-based phones enabled the callers to make calls from anywhere in the world without worrying about high bills. Many spam calls are made from foreign countries with inadequate legislation, and since the U.S. has no jurisdiction there, preventing international robocalls is extremely difficult. Are All Robocalls Unlawful?The problem with robocalls is that they are not illegal. That's why it's impossible to stop robocalls entirely. The content of the message and the intent of the call can be unlawful, though. Sometimes it can be challenging to distinguish legitimate calls from those that are downright scams. What you should be aware of is that you are not obliged to receive robocalls, even from official institutions. You are free to use robocall blockers from CenturyLink or other resources to block even the robocalls coming from government agencies. Telemarketing companies must get your written consent to put you on their calling lists. They should also let you know that they use robocalls as a part of their marketing campaigns. You are allowed to remove your number from the list whenever you like. When it comes to legal robocalls that you may want to take, they usually come from one of the following organizations:
How to Recognize Fraudulent RobocallsLegitimate robocalls aim to pass information and not extract it, so it is one of the easiest ways to make a distinction between the two. Honest businesses and organizations will also use other communication tools to pass the same message. The IRS, for example, uses emails and snail mail in addition to robocalls. Robocall scams are getting more elaborate, so recognizing them is a bit tricky. The caller ID can be misleading because of spoofing. This exceptionally popular method imitates local phone numbers, so you would be less likely to ignore the call. The number appears as your area code number, so you might think that a neighbor or a local business is calling you. Unfortunately, spoofing numbers is relatively easy, so most robocallers use it as a rule. All robocall frauds intend to take your money, and they all fit into the following pattern:
Can CenturyLink Block Robocalls?CenturyLink offers solutions to the robocall pestilence that has been affecting home phones all over the States. While most people have installed various tools and apps to prevent robocallers from harassing them on their cell phones, landlines remain a fertile ground for fraudulent activities of phone scammers. CenturyLink directed their attention towards landlines and developed several tools that can block harassing calls, spam calls, and robocalls on your home phone. If you have been receiving unwanted calls, you can choose some of the following features to help you reduce them:
Before analyzing these features, we should let you know that not all customers are satisfied with CenturyLink services and that there are CenturyLink lawsuits for disingenuous behavior. No Solicitation—CenturyLink Robocall Blocking Service As the name implies, the No Solicitation feature is designed to protect users from solicitation calls. It works like a call-screening and blocking service, and is easy to install on your home phone. If you opt for No Solicitation, your calls will be screened from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Each caller will first hear a recorded message prompting them to press 1 to continue with the call. This feature works exceptionally well when it comes to robocalls because the machine will not be able to follow the instructions. In the case of spam calls made by real people, No Solicitation is not as effective. If you are struggling with robocalls, don't hesitate to activate this feature on your home phone, and check how it works for you. No Solicitation comes with a privilege list, which allows specific numbers to skip the recorded message and get directly through. If a particular number calls you five times within seven days and successfully completes the instructions, it will automatically be added to the privilege list. Security Screen—Robocall Blocker CenturyLinkSecurity Screen functions like a non-stop screening service that aims to filter all suspicious or unknown phone numbers before they get through to you. This feature asks the callers to provide their phone number before the call is connected. All callers that fail to do so won't be able to reach you. CenturyLink's Security Screen applies to all callers calling from:
Each of these callers will be instructed to enter a phone number with 10 digits that can be verified. All honest callers will be able to comply, so you could expect fewer spam calls coming your way. Caller ID with Privacy+ from CenturyLinkCaller ID with Privacy+ is designed to block all calls coming from numbers with deactivated Caller ID. The callers must record their name, and the message will be sent to you for approval. You can decide whether or not to take the call. This feature works best for telemarketing calls and robocalls. Telemarketers are usually reluctant to disclose their names, while machines are not able to respond to this request. The downside is that the process of reaching you is a bit tiresome and time-consuming. CenturyLink Anonymous Call RejectionAnonymous Call Rejection is meant to block all numbers that appear as private or anonymous. This means that the caller ID was blocked on them or that they simply lack enough information for identification. The callers using such numbers will be asked to:
This will identify their number, and it will appear on your screen. Robocalls and a significant number of other spam calls will be stopped with Anonymous Call Rejection. The problem is that the feature will not work if the number comes with a flag:
Spoofed numbers will also pass Anonymous Call Rejection screening. CenturyLink Call RejectionCall Rejection uses a blacklist that you create to stop unwanted calls. You should create a list of numbers you wish to avoid, and Call Rejection will block all calls coming from these numbers. Here's how it works:
The problem with this feature is that it blocks only the numbers that you provide without a screening of new or unknown numbers. It won't work well for robocalls because they change the numbers frequently, and it would be impossible to add them to your blacklist. CenturyLink Robocall Blocking on Digital Home PhonesCentury link teamed up with Nomorobo to offer a tool that can be used for blocking calls if you are using a digital home phone. Internet-based phones use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and they are becoming quite common in many households all over the States. In case you are not sure what kind of a landline you have, check with your carrier. If you are using a digital home phone, CenturyLink and Nomorobo app may be the right solution for blocking unwanted calls. The process is as follows:
Check out the table below for an overview of CenturyLink services. ServiceAvailable forDesigned forNo SolicitationLandlinesRobocallsSecurity ScreenLandlines
How to Block Robocalls on Your Mobile Phone?CenturyLink can help with unwanted calls on your home phone, but it won't work on your mobile phone. The FCC guide to robocalls instructs telephone service providers in the U.S. to add spam-call blockers to all the numbers automatically. If you are still getting robocalls on your cell, contact your carrier to activate the service. All major providers have both free and paid versions of unwanted call blockers. As of 2019, a new technology called SHAKEN/STIR kicked in, allowing for better screening and blocking of spam calls. CenturyLink is also looking into ways to incorporate SHAKEN/STIR protocols to provide better protection to its clients. The ongoing war with phone fraudsters has united carriers and government agencies, and according to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, the results are excellent. Additional protection from robocallers comes in the form of third-party apps that can be downloaded for Android and iOS that screen the calls and prevent scammers from getting in touch with you. If you believe you need extra filters for robocalls, check out one of the below apps:
How to Handle Robocalls That Get Pass the CenturyLink Robocall Help?Before we dive into some additional tips on how to handle robocalls that actually get through to you, we advise you to put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. The Do Not Call List prevents unwanted callers from reaching out to you, since listing a number makes it illegal for them to call you. Although the Do Not Call List exceptions will make it possible for some robocallers to get through to you, the list is a starting point for blocking telemarketers. It's also a filter that proves that all robocalls coming your way are fraudulent because honest businesses will respect the fact that your number is on the list. Here are a few simple rules you should follow to safeguard yourself from robocalls:
Robocallers hide behind valid businesses and organizations, so they tend to impersonate the IRS and utility providers. Even if you think that the call might be real, you should not follow the instructions, but contact the organization independently and check the information for yourself. Reporting robocalls is also vital because it helps identify as many scam callers as possible and contributes to putting an end to this pest once and for all. You can report robocalls that you receive to:
Can DoNotPay Help With Robocalls?DoNotPay fights robocalls by helping you take $3,000 from the caller. This fantastic feature called RoboRevenge is designed to hurt the scammers by attacking their funds. The process is legal and easy because DoNotPay does most of the work. To get the robocall revenge, you must disobey some of the standard rules of handling robocalls and actually engage with the caller. It will not put you — or your money — in any danger, so the next time you get a robocall, do the following:
The trick is in the free virtual credit card that DoNotPay generates for you. It is not a real card, but a virtual car number unrelated to authentic funding sources, and it does not contain any personal information even though it looks like a real card to the caller. For a better overview of what the difference between a real credit card and a virtual one is, check out the table below. You should know that if your number is not on the DoNotCall List, the app will put it there automatically. Real Credit Card DoNotPay Virtual Credit CardLinked to your bank accountNot linked to a funding source Has personal details of the holder Holder's details are unavailableAllows transactionsTransactions impossible What Else Can DoNotPay Do?DoNotPay can do a lot of things, specifically help with matters that require legal assistance that is out of reach for many people. If you need to lower your bills, get a refund from an airline, or unsubscribe from a service you are not using, contact the world's first robot lawyer, and ask for help. Our virtual legal team can also offer advice on how to handle How do I block unwanted calls on my landline?How to Block Phone Numbers on a Landline. Pick up your receiver and dial *60.. You'll hear a message that will walk you through how to block a number.. To block the most recent call, dial #01#. To block another number, dial #, then the number (including the area code), followed by #. . Does * 61 block unwanted calls?Block calls from your phone
Receive an unwanted call? Press *61 to add the last call received to your call block list. Press *80 to turn call blocking off. Press *60 to turn call blocking back on.
What does * 77 do on your phone?Reject anonymous calls
Anonymous Call Rejection (*77) stops calls from people that use a blocking feature to keep their name or number from being displayed. When Anonymous Call Rejection is turned on, callers will hear a message telling them to hang up, turn off the blocking feature, and call again.
Can you block certain phone numbers on a landline?If your home phone is a traditional landline that doesn't use the internet (VoIP), you can buy and install a call-blocking device. Call-blocking devices are typically small boxes you attach to your phone. Some devices use databases of known scam numbers but let you add numbers you want blocked.
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