I use 'do not disturb' too. Having your phone set to 'do not disturb' doesn't mean you are blocking all calls, it just doesn't ring. You can allow certain numbers and if an unrecognized number is something important, they can still leave a voicemail.

It's funny, but my personal cellphone doesn't get very many spam calls. Our shared 'house' cellphone, however gets so many we did set it to only ring for numbers on our contact list.

I have more than one spam blocker and do get a flashing "suspected spam" on the screen, but STILL some get through. I get the student loan program, the car warranty, the time share, "Hi!!! This is Tiffany!!!!" and so on and so forth. I also keep getting calls for Doug about the package and Willie Starjiss has a warrant out for his arrest. Texts and mostly phone calls/voicemails.

(Willie has been going on for more than 5 years)

Yes, I am bothered by spam on my cell.

I have some sort of robo blocker on my phone, and it alerts me when an incoming call is suspected of being spam, and it flags it as such, and I simply don't answer those calls. I also turn my phone off at about 7PM until I get up at about 7AM, and so any calls received at night go straight to voicemail. Hardly anyone ever calls me, and I get very irritated by text messages. I've told everyone to send me email instead of texts, but some ignore that request.

I text, but I hate it, and I keep my texts extremely brief, almost to the point of what I would normally consider rude, but then I consider almost all texts to be rude. It's okay when it is something to do with health and emergency notifications, but otherwise I hate receiving them, especially when people could just condescend to talk to me or send an email. I therefore tend to ignore text messages for three to four days when I determine that the sender could have called or sent an email. Eventually they learn that texting is a bad way to contact me.

I only have a cell phone, no landline. I have TMobile and use their "scam shield" tool. I never get scam calls as they're automatically blocked. If one does sneak through and I don't recognize the number, I just don't answer it. If it is legit they'll leave a message. And if they don't, I add them to the "block" feature on scam shield.

So no, I don't get scam calls.

Plenty of calls go to spam. but some rong through with a notification that they are likely spam. They really picked up in the 6 months before my Medicare eiligibility period!

Check with your provider to see if there's a way to make it so a legitimate caller has to push a random number (a voice recording will tell them which number) before the call can go through. I have this service with my cell phone provider. There is an option online that lets me put in about 20 (?) phone number where they can just call and don't have to key in a random number. I have my family in that list. This has stopped all spam calls, especially the ones from "Canada Revenue"... ;)

I have several messages i can send to callers. Like, Call you later, Im driving, Im on my way, are you naked? works for me.

My cell number is given out to no one except family and a few trusted service providers and friends. I made the mistake of giving it to American Airlines when I was flying to Europe, and that is when the spam calls started.

Lately most of the spam calls have been from people wanting to buy my property (it isn't mine) in Toledo (I think it was owned by a person who had the cell number previously, years ago), and texts for the same person asking for political donations or petitions signings etc.

My phone has a screening option that tells the caller that the call is being screened and to state their name and purpose. Spammers hang up immediately.

The landline is about to go, since 99.5 percent of the calls are spammers. I just don't answer any more, unless I am expecting a call - I just let the answering machine pick up. Lately 50% or more of those are people asking if I want to sell the house.

I can choose to block text numbers, and that's what I've been doing. Do you have that ability on your 3 dots in the upper right hand corner? Within the text messaging.

Text messages are very bad. My calls don't get through the blockers, I have a ring tone for my unknow callers. It's the txt messages that are driving me crazy!

My phone also allows me to report and block spam texts. I have been lucky, though, I rarely get spam texts. I'm sure that won't last.

"It's the txt messages that are driving me crazy!"

That's too bad. Have you considered changing your phone number?

Yes, sure. Changing your number will end the spam. Not! I don't give my number out and I still get spam texts.

Of course, changing your number will not help. Sadly, I have become fairly indifferent to a ringing phone. I barely glance at it before muting the ringer. Such a pleasant surprise when it is a real call..for me! I keep meaning to give the folks in my directory a unique ringtone so that I need not make any effort at all for other ring tones.

"Yes, sure. Changing your number will end the spam. Not!"

Are you speaking from experience or simply speculating?

I agree to a point insofar as every phone is going to get unwanted calls and messages because numbers are called or messaged sequentially in turn and it's one after the other. She said she's getting text messages that drive her crazy and that suggests a high volume. That's not typical. Maybe she's exaggerating?

Random text messages to my phone are less frequent than once a month. If I got so many that it became a problem, I'd change my number. Do you have other ideas to suggest?

Junk text messages are as frequent as junk phone calls. My DH gets many of them per day. I am sure she is being quite honest here about how annoying they are.

There was talk at one time ( Do not ask me to quote who and where ) of establishing a simple way of blocking spam callers with a simple keypad sequence and such numbers would be stored in a database. After a certain number of blockings, the number would be disabled. That would get rid of a robo dialer practically immediately. There was speculation of tracking down and prosecuting offenders. Oh, wouldn't that be nice!

The problem with blocking numbers is that most of the spammers, calls and texts, are using spoofed numbers. So you block an innocent number an never touch the bad guys. It doesn't work.

sushipup is right.

What I get maybe once a week and not more, is what I mentioned above, the nice lady calling because she's worried that my car warranty is expiring. It's never from the same number. Sometimes it's a number in my area code, sometimes it's from random places. The caller ID usually says a city and state, or anonymous or restricted.

I answer all calls on my cell phone because I get a fair number of legit calls having an unhelpful or vague ID. Fortunately, almost no text messages.

I never get spam texts and seldom get spam calls on my cell phone because I never give it out to anyone who doesn’t have a reason to need it. Like if I mail order something, they don’t need my cell number, even though they require it. I have a landline because it’s bundled with my internet, so I give out that number. I have the ringer turned off on that because it rings probably 10 to 20 times a day - all spam calls.

Agreed sushipup.

I went through an unpleasant period where scammers were spoofing my phone number. I had several people call me, thinking I was the one calling them. One elderly gentleman was leaving me pretty foul voice messages , and I actually had a hard time getting him to believe me that I was not the one making the calls.

I actually changed my outgoing message to indicate I was not the one calling you, that I was sorry scammers had spoofed my phone number, and that I was annoyed with it all too.

Good times. :-/ Fortunately the scammers moved on to a new number in relative short order.

Unwanted calls are not a matter of giving out one's phone number to others.

My wife's cell number and mine are consecutive, her's is the lower number. When she gets a call, answers, and disconnects, then I get one. The process is computerized of course and I believe the routine is to call numbers sequentially, as in (with made up numbers)

If (825) 555-1234

Then (825) 555-1235

-1236

-1237

etc.

Why would I care if I blocked a spoofed number? If I don't know the person it actually belongs to there is no harm. I don't have any delusion that I am curtailing spam callers, just making my life easier.

Go ahead and block the numbers, Elizabeth. But it won't make your life easier, because that same number, if it is indeed a spoofed number, won't be used again.

I got a spam call yesterday from a legit (I think) company that I have no interest in ever doing business with, but it was a real phone number. I blocked that one.

Again, right on with sushipup. Some of the operators use an area code that's the same as the numbers being called. They have just one short of 10 million numbers to choose from for each area code targeted. A different one perhaps every day. Blocking a number does nothing.

I did not make myself clear there. I don't block every spam call. You're right, that would be futile. I only block numbers that I see repeatedly on my CallerID. Such as "SeniorAdvisor" or "MedicareHelp", HelpTheFD". They use the same 2 or 3 phone numbers.

Companies sell data. That's one way a phone number can end up on a list for calls or texts trying to sell something.

I'm not going to change my phone number so that every person I know, has to change their records. Because changing my phone number won't matter because they'll just get it another way some other time. I seriously do not give out my phone number, not to any businesses except for government businesses that I have to give it. I give it out as area code, 234-5678. And yet I still get spam texts.

Why should I inconvenience all of my friends family coworkers, etc when it won't fix the problem???

Exactly, Carolb. There is no way to stop consecutive number dialing, but not giving out your number keeps you off of many lists of sold, working numbers. If consecutive dialing were more prevalent, I would be getting calls, I would think - but I don't. My experience is not giving out my number works.

Most legit companies and especially ones I consider the most important ones (who may need the number for two step verification or order status notifications) don't sell personal customer info. Try withholding your phone number from banks and credit card companies, medical insurance providers, retailers (many of which like Amazon we may have frequent contact with) pharmacy and medical service providers, and the like - you won't get very far.

Magazines, other types of operators - different story. If asked to supply your phone number and if it's thought to not be necessary, one can ask. Many companies like that don't need a phone number.

I give them my home phone number, so no problems for me!

Government=official. Including the IRS, banks, city utilities... Other than highly reputable, no one gets the number. It's UNLISTED

Forgot to say data is shared too, not necessarily sold.

I enter online contests that require a phone number, but I very rarely get spam on my phone.

I get lots of spam emails, but that's easily filtered out.

Unintended consequences of letting calls go to voice mail: On the Sunday morning NPR Puzzle with Will Shortz, if you want to enter the on-air contest, you include a phone number where they can reach you at a certain time in order to play. They have recently started adding the warning that you must pick up when you are called, since the call comes from an unknown number.

100% agree with Elmer. My spouse and I also have sequential numbers, and have the exact same experience - many times his phone gets called approximately one second after mine does.

Certainly some numbers are collected and sold too, as hot leads. Anyone who has ever donated to a charity has probably experienced that. :)

But in many other cases, scammers use automatic dialers. It has zero to do with who you may have shared your phone number with in the past, and has everything to do with where you number falls in their automatic dialer list.

Well, I get almost zero scam calls on my cell phone so I am curious why I would be skipped over by auto dialers? My only explanation is that I don't give it out. I seriously get one or two a year that show up as "potential spam" from unknown numbers. I can imagine an auto dialer starting with a known cell phone # and then doing sequential calls, knowing that the first number was a good number, or at least one that has been assigned. Maybe they are assuming that others will have been assigned in sequence to that known number (from a list somewhere). Once in a while I'll get a wrong number leaving a message. I get ZERO spam text messages on my cell. I use a junk email address (hotmail and gmail) for all emails but personal/friends. My personal is an icloud address that goes to my phone and computer. The others I have to sign in to see. No icloud spam mail or texts ever.

I agree with Elizabeth. Who cares if I block spoofed numbers? They're not likely to be someone I know. Just making my life easier.

Actually, I think blocking, over time, does have a positive effect. I am lucky enough to have a cell number having an area code from a different area of the country where I lived years ago -- I saw no reason to change it when I moved and doubt I ever will. Everyone I am friends with from that area code is a contact in my phone. Any other calls that come in from that area code I know (with certainty) are spam calls. It's true that those calls (if not from an 866- or other generic code) tend to come from numbers within your same area code because telemarketers know that you are more likely to pick up if you think it's a local call. Anyway, when I first moved to my current location, I ignored and then immediately blocked any call that came from that area code. Back then, it happened very frequently, but I have to say that although it still happens from time to time, it really is a very rare occasion now.

Blocking by area code is a good idea.

No one knows my cell number(including me...lol) except my kids and husband. So I never get calls and never give out my number. But I get plenty on landline and have donotcall set up but I still get them. I never answer the phone until I check the caller ID.

I don't give my number out, only to the necessary ones

I don't give out my cell phone number to anyone but doctors' offices, friends/family, and other business/personal associates who I want to call me on the cell number. (We still have a VOIP "landline" which I give out to the rest of the universe as required.)

All of our various phone numbers are registered on Do Not Call.

I still get a handful of spam calls every week/ month on the cell phone. Not a huge volume, but more than none.

I wouldn't know for sure how many of the calls which route straight to voice mail are spam, except that I think it's safe to assume most of them are bc they never leave a message. :) Also, roughly half-ish call my spouse's number within seconds of calling mine which is how I've come up with my automatic dialer theory.

No clue if that's truly it, but not sure what else would explain it?

I also give my number to next to no one. We still have a land line for random companies that need a number. I have received some spam texts and calls. DELETE is my favorite feature and I use it liberally--that way the spammers have no idea if they got a person from their robo calls. They quit when no one answers. It's been eons since I had any spam.

In the very few random calls on my cell since I don't give the number to anyone, my Apple watch rings and I shut it off in 1/10 of a second.

"They quit when no one answers."

This hasn't been my experience. The calls I get (that go directly to voicemail on my home phone) seem to be the same companies or individuals over and over.

Of course, this morning I got a spam call on my cell, lol!

Too funny Olychick. An hour ago I got a voicemail left by a scammer. 😆

This morning I cleared about 25 spam calls from my home phone memory that were all left in the last week. None of them left vm.

Excuse me for resurrecting this thread but I had an experience a few moments ago that reaffirms (for me) why I answer cell phone calls from unrecognized numbers.

My phone rang showing an ID with an area code to the north of San Francisco. Not nearby. I don't know anyone up there and didn't recognize the number, but I always answer the phone. It was a UPS driver who had a delivery I was expecting. They're doing paving work on my street and he asked if he could leave the box at a neighbor's house a bit of a distance away. He gave me the name and address where he was, I don't know them.

I told him that if he continued along the road he'd find it passable and he would reach my house. He thanked me and has made the delivery.

That's why shipping labels usually have the recipient's phone number and that's why I answer my phone. I don't give it out indiscriminately. I can live with the few robo or sales solicitation, often obviously sequential number, calls I get. I simply end unwanted calls. Easy enough.

I will just have to go with my gut. I am not answering if I don't know the number. I don't have time to waste on the phone. If it's that important they will leave a voice message.

Sure, joann, there's not just one answer. But something as common and as harmless as a phone call should never reach anyone's gut. Or trigger a reaction. It's just a phone call.

I don't waste my time checking voice messages. That's hardly more convenient than simply answering a call.