How to Find Out if a Phone Number is Spam and Protect Yourself

Okay! Let’s start with some alarming stats!

Did You know, On average, a person gets around 7 spam phone calls in about a month? 

In the last year, Americans wasted approximately 219 million hours (Which makes it around 9.1 million days or 301,000 months) only answering spam calls. 

Do you know how concerning that is? 

Receiving calls from an unknown number is common. While some of them might be telemarketers, others are total scammers, just trying to steal your data for money and other gains. 

But, is it possible to avoid them? 

Well this read, will explore how you can tell if a scammer is calling you with some optimal strategies to avoid them. Let’s dive in! 

But First, How Can You Tell If A Scammer Is Calling You? 

Scammers often use automated calls from spoofed area codes to scam the victim. However, there are some red flags that you can look out for when receiving a call. These signs can differ before answering or after answering the call, such as: 

Before Answering:

• A call from an international code that looks local. 
• The number doesn’t match the caller ID. For instance, the ID suggests a big company name, but the number is local. 
• Claims to be a government agency like the IRS or FBI.
• Caller ID reads “Scam Likely” or “Spam Risk” potential. 

After Answering:

• If the callers say they are from a government agency, but the ID suggests something different. 
• They say there’s an issue with your system and ask you to download software or to give them access.
• They suggest you verify your personal information like Social Security Number, PINs, passwords, and bank account numbers. 

Online Number Checking

One of the easiest ways to check a suspicious number is to look it up online. Many websites and apps collect reports of spam numbers from other users. 

These platforms enable you to lookup phone number owner details and verify if the number has been involved in any fraudulent activities.

Searqle is an advanced tool designed to help users effectively identify and avoid spam calls. It leverages a comprehensive database of reported numbers, coupled with real-time updates, to provide users with accurate and up-to-date information. 

By simply entering a phone number into Searqle, users can quickly determine if it has previously been reported as spam. Additionally, Searqle offers features like call blocking and automatic spam detection, ensuring that suspicious calls are intercepted before they disrupt your day.

Did You Know? 

Phone scammers made around 6.7 billion calls only in the first three months of 2023. That makes it around 74 million calls per day. 

And, How To Protect Yourself From A Phone Scam? 

Now that you have a little background on mobile scammers and how to identify them. Here are some crucial steps you can consider to protect yourself from a phone scam. 

Phone scammers don’t buy new phones every time they think of scamming someone. Instead, they just change the number using Voice Over the Internet (VoIP) technology, making it difficult to track their number. 

This is where an AI-powered call assistant might help you identify scammers and block them before they can reach you — ensuring that only genuine calls make it through. 

Both Android and iOS phones allow you to automatically block or silence a call coming from a suspicious number. Here’s how you can silence unknown callers on your device: 

For Android devices:

• Open the Phone application.
• Now, tap on three dots in the upper right corner. 
• Click on Settings. 
• Go to the Assistive section, and tap on Caller ID & Spam.
• And, Just simply, switch to Filter spam calls. 

For iOS devices:

• Go to Settings, and navigate to Phone. 
• Now, scroll down, and click on Silence Unknown Callers.

Most phone carriers have tools to prevent their customers from irritating spam calls. But they don’t often automatically provide a high level of security, so you may have to ask for it. Or you can also opt for a spam-blocking app, depending on your carrier. 

If you are not sure whether a person calling is a potential scammer or not. You can use Google’s advanced search commands or other social media platforms like Reddit or Quora to learn more about the phone number trying to reach you. 

Another major step you can take to protect yourself from aggressive telemarketers is to register your phone number in a “Do not call register”. Most telemarketers never breach the call registry’s rules, as it can result in some serious fines by The Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The Bottom Line 

Phone scams are at an all-time high. In fact, it is the top reported complaint to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 

And it’s true that you cannot avoid every single scam call, but by using most of the methods from this guide. You can identify most of them and report them so that they cannot scam anyone later. 

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