How to Stop (and Block) Scam Likely Calls

Scam phone calls. We’ve all had them.

The phone rings, and the screen says "Scam Likely" or an unfamiliar number. Your first thought might be, “Who’s calling me?” or “This might be important!” or “I better answer it just in case…” But chances are, it’s someone trying to trick you out of your time, personal information, or even money.

These calls can be annoying. Worse, they can be dangerous if you accidentally share personal details. So, what can you do? And if you have a parent who keeps picking up scam calls, what can you do for them?

The good news is, there are tools and tips to help you stop and block these scam calls. Phone companies have finally started providing easy ways for customers to proactively protect themselves from scams. It requires a bit of setup on the front end, but whether you use a Google Pixel, Samsung, iPhone, other Android device, or have T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T, there are options. It’s also something you can do for an elderly loved ones phone - so they stop accidentally picking up scam likely calls.

What Does "Scam Likely" Mean?

First things first: What does it mean when you see "Scam Likely" pop up on your phone?

Nearly every phone carrier uses a special technology to detect suspicious or scam calls. If their system thinks a call could be a scam, they label it as "Scam Likely."” This label helps you decide whether you want to answer the call. This article also has some important information on how to detect scam calls that slip through the “Scam Likely” phone filter.

Most of the time, it’s best to ignore it and let it go to voicemail. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.

But How Do Carriers Identify Scam Calls?

Phone companies use tools like Scam ID (flags calls that might be scams by showing "Scam Likely" on your screen before you answer) and Scam Block (automatically blocks those calls so they never even reach you) to identify and prevent scam calls. You don’t necessarily need to know how the technology works, but the simple explanation is that they share a huge database of known scam numbers with each other. If a call to your phone matches that datebase, the number gets flagged. They also analyze how a call behaves to catch tricks like "spoofing"” (when scammers fake a local phone number to trick you).

Most of these tools are free and already included in your plan. Don’t worry—I’ll show you how to turn them on below.

How to Block Scam Calls: Step-by-Step for Different Phones

Let’s get practical. Here’s how you can block scam calls on different devices - either on your phone, or on an older relative’s phone (with their permission, of course!):

1. Blocking Scam Calls on an iPhone

The iPhone has a handy feature that lets you block calls manually. Here’s how:

1. Open the Phone app and tap on Recents.

2. Find the scam number you want to block.

3. Tap the "i" (information) button next to the number.

4. Scroll down and select Block this Caller.

That’s it! That number won’t bother you again. Unfortunately, at the time of publication, the iPhone doesn’t have a way to block all incoming spam calls for free. You can consider purchasing one of the scam caller blocker apps, or switching to a phone that has this service built-in.

With iOS 13 and later, you can turn on Silence Unknown Callers (which is the next best thing) to avoid getting calls from people you don’t know. This blocks phone numbers that you've never been in contact with and don’t have saved in your contacts list. If you’ve previously texted with someone using their phone number or if a person has shared their phone number with you in an email, a phone call from that number will go through.

To turn on Silence Unknown Callers:

1. Go to Settings > Phone.

2. Scroll down and tap Silence Unknown Callers.

3. Turn on the feature.

When enabled:

• Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to your voicemail.

• Silenced calls still appear in your recent calls list.

Important: Make sure you’ve saved important contacts before turning on this feature. Otherwise, you might miss a call you don’t want to miss! Calls will still go to voicemail, but you won’t get a notification while the call is ringing.

If you place an emergency call, Silence Unknown Callers will be temporarily disabled for the next 24 hours so your iPhone can be reached.

2. Blocking Scam Calls on Android Phones

Blocking calls on Android phones can depend on your phone’s brand. But most Androids, including Google Pixel and Samsung, have built-in features.

Google Pixel: Call Screening

If you use a Google Pixel phone, you’re in luck! It has a fantastic feature called Call Screening.

Here’s how it works:

• Google Assistant (a virtual helper) answers the call for you.

• It asks the caller to identify themselves.

• You’ll see a live transcript of the conversation.

This way, you can decide whether to pick up or ignore the call. It’s like having a personal assistant for your phone calls! And if it ends up being a legitimate request, it’s easy to answer the phone as soon as your Google Assistant pings you letting you know you have a call.

Samsung Phones: Hiya

Samsung phones come with a built-in spam blocker powered by Hiya. Here’s how to turn it on:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Tap on Caller ID and Spam Protection.

3. Toggle the feature on.

Now your phone will flag and block scam calls automatically.

3. Blocking Calls with T-Mobile’s Scam Shield

If T-Mobile is your wireless provider, you’ve got a few powerful tools to stop scam calls:

• Scam ID: Automatically shows "Scam Likely" for suspicious calls.

• Scam Block: Blocks those calls before they even reach your phone.

How to Turn On Scam Block

Here are three ways to do it. All three of them work, regardless of whether you have a regular T-Mobile plan or a prepaid plan.

1. Dial #662# from your T-Mobile phone. (This turns Scam Block on.)

2. Download the free Scam Shield app from your app store and toggle on Scam Block.

3. Log in to My T-Mobile (online) and activate it.

Want to check if Scam Block is working? Dial #787#. If you ever want to turn it off, dial #632#.

4. Blocking Scam Calls with Verizon

Verizon provides a basic Call Filter service to all phones that blocks potential scam calls and allows you to report unwanted calls. Verizon also offers a feature called Call & Message Blocking. Similar to the iPhone option, it’s not perfect, but it’s a start.

• You can block up to five numbers for free.

• The block only lasts 90 days, so you’ll need to renew it regularly.

If you or a relative struggles with a large number of scam calls, you can consider purchasing the Verizon “Call Filter Plus” for a small monthly fee (at time of publication, it’s $3.99/mo), which is an upgrade from their free plan.

5. Blocking Scam Calls with AT&T

If you’re an AT&T customer, you can use Call Protect to block unwanted calls.

1. Go to your myAT&T account overview.

2. Select Manage home phone on the My home phone card.

3. Choose Manage phone features in Phone features.

4. Select the account and then click Continue.

5. Scroll to Call Filtering and select Call Protect.

6. Follow the prompts to turn it on.

Call Protect provides:

• Automatic Fraud Blocking: Gives the potential fraud caller a busy signal and don’t allow the call to go through to your phone.

• Call Validation: Displays a [V] on your caller ID indicate the call is from the phone registered to that number.

• Call Blocking: Allows you to block specific numbers by pressing *61 after an unwanted call.

• Suspected Spam Warnings: Caller ID will display "Suspected Spam" with a spam type, such as Political, Nonprofit, Telemarketer, Survey, or Robocaller

For more helpful articles, you can check out our Silver Safe and Secure Resource Center, join us at one of our free workshops, or download the Digital Safety for Seniors free PDF.