Clutter invades our lives in many ways. Robocalls are phone clutter. At best they interrupt our day and make us grumpy; at worst, we fall for a scammer at the other end of the line and waste a lot of time and/or money as a consequence.
Alex Quilici is the CEO of robocall-blocking app YouMail. He says most cell phone providers have tools to block calls from phone numbers known to be problematic. Unfortunately, companies quickly adapt with new numbers. Mr. Quilici offers 4 tips to reduce robocall phone clutter:
1. Do Not Answer Numbers You Don’t Recognize
We are curious people so this can be really hard! What if the caller has important information ~ maybe a loved one has been in an accident? Or maybe it’s exciting news ~ Publisher’s Clearinghouse calling to tell us we’ve won millions!
When you don’t recognize a caller’s number, STOP! and remember: They will leave a voicemail if their message is legitimate.
2. If You Must Answer, Don’t Engage
Sometimes we are expecting an important call but don’t know the phone number it will come from so feel compelled to answer and unknown caller.
- Never say “hello” more than twice. Occasionally a slight delay will cause a legitimate caller from hearing us the first time; a longer delay is a good sign a robot is on the other end of the line.
- Don’t respond to the invitation to press a number to opt out because that will merely verify that yours is a working number and make you a target for more calls. Instead, hang up immediately!
3. Get On the Right List
List your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. If you still get unwanted calls, report them.
Mr. Quilici said the registry is helpful but should not be seen as fool-proof. “If I’m sitting in India dialing a million numbers, what are the odds I’m even going to be fined for violating the Do Not Call Registry?” he asked. Probably near zero, but it’s still worth the effort to reduce phone clutter to some extent.
4. Fight Technology with Technology
Robots are calling us, and we can use other robots to stop them!
Investigate these call-blocking apps and if you find one you like download it to your phone: Truecaller, RoboKiller, Mr. Number, Nomorobo. (Note, I do not have personal experience with these apps and do not endorse them professionally.)
YouMail will stop your phone from ringing with calls from suspected robocallers and deliver a message that your number is out of service.
Clutter isn’t always in the form of physical objects. Declutter the time-wasters in your life today!