Block Phone Number: Unsolicited Phone Callers Beware!

What to do, and what not to do? Do not call the number back, and do not give out any of your personal information. Sometimes, merely calling a number back will verify that you are accessible and expose you to more risk. Some phone companies have blocked phone number listings you can use. Ask them to add the number that called you to your account (or use the automated service to do it yourself). Here are some common providers that offer this service:

Block phone number services by provider

First, you'll want to block the phone number from calling you again. Each service provider has its own way of doing so. If you use AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, Time Warner Cable (TWC), or Verizon take a look at this article and follow the instructions to block a phone number. Here's a list of phone providers and the maximum amount of numbers you can block through them.

  • AT&T Call Blocking - 20
  • CenturyLink Call Rejection - 25
  • Comcast Call Screening - 12
  • TWC Call Blocker Accept and Call Blocker Select - 30
  • Verizon Call Block - 12

After you've block the phone number it should prevent the call from coming through. However, if you are unable to use Caller ID blocking, we recommend you simply ignore the phone calls.

Block phone numbers on your cell phone

Some cell phones may allow you to assign a silent ring to a particular set of numbers or even block the numbers. Here are instructions for blocking phone numbers on HTC, iPhone, LG, and Samsung phones.

Blocking calls on HTC

  • Open the Phone app
  • Click Call history
  • Do a long press on the phone number you want to block
  • Click Block contact or Block caller

Blocking calls on iPhone

  • Open the Phone app
  • Click Recents
  • Click the i icon next to the number you want blocked
  • Click Block this caller

Blocking calls on LG

  • Open the Phone app
  • Click the 3-dot menu icon located in the top right corner
  • Click Call settings
  • Click Call reject
  • Click Reject calls from
  • Select the Plus icon and add the number you want to block

Blocking calls on Samsung

  • Select the Phone icon
  • Click More located at the top right
  • Click Settings
  • Call blocking and Call rejection lists are located here, select which list you'd like to manage

or

  • Select the Phone icon
  • Click Log
  • Select the phone number or contact
  • Click More
  • Click Block settings

Report the call

Take detailed notes on the call you received, including phone number, caller ID, time, and nature of the call. Then, report the call to us. Next (or if you've already done that), visit the FCC website and report it there as well. You'll be asked (via an online form) how you received the call (home, work, or cell phone), whether or not the caller left a message, details regarding the nature of the voice mail, how many times the call has occurred and when, and more.

Search for phone number

Use our search bar in the navigation to see if we've created a report on a particular phone number. Here's one of the most common: 402-935-7733

Taking preventative measures

After reporting your call using the steps mentioned above, register your phone number with the government's Do Not Call List. Note that phishing calls are not affected by the government's Do Not Call List, as they are not legitimate telemarketing calls to begin with, and often originate from a location outside the United States.

Do all this and you'll be on the way to helping us millions of people suffering hours and days of wasted time answering annoying, threatening, and malicious phone calls. Here's to one day living in a world where our phone rings only when we want it to!

What's the worst unsolicited or telemarketing call you've ever received?