Nuisance calls are a daily annoyance, but without caller ID (which displays the number of the person calling) it’s difficult to know who’s on the line until you answer. But once you answer, it’s too late and you’re stuck talking to them. Fortunately, Ofcom has done that companies are prohibited from withholding their numbers during unsolicited calls.
How can I screen phone calls on a landline?
BT customers
BT has a free service – BT call protection – that helps prevent nuisance calls. It claims the service allows up to 30 million nuisance calls per week to be forwarded to an unwanted voicemail box.
Numbers are also added to this blacklist if many customers report nuisance calls from the same number. You can also create your own blacklists, which can include individual numbers, hidden numbers and international calls. To add a number, simply dial 1572 after receiving the unwanted call. This of course only works after you have registered for Call Protect.
It’s free if you’re a BT customer. All you have to do to enable the service on your line is click through to www.bt.com/callprotect or call 0800 389 1572. You will need to go through an ordering process, but this only requires your BT phone number and postcode: no payment details are required and it is a permanently free service, not a special offer that becomes a paid service after, for example, twelve months .
TalkTalk customers
TalkTalk launched its own call screening service on January 17, 2018 and it is also free. It’s called CallSafe and you can enable it by by calling 1472. You can then view and manage your approved and blocked callers via My Account or by calling 1472.
People you call regularly are not blocked and calls from known nuisance callers are never transferred. If someone calls from a number that is not on the naughty list, but has not called you before, he/she will have to leave a short message, which you will hear when you pick up the phone. You can then decide whether or not to accept the call.
That’s a feature you only get from BT if you buy a special landline phone.
Sky customers
Sky’s screening service is called Talk Shield. It’s free if you have Sky Broadband and Sky Talk. You’ll need to sign into your Sky account to activate it if you didn’t do so when your services first went live.
Callers are asked to provide a brief introduction when they call. You then decide whether you want to answer the call, without them knowing whether you are available.
Naturally, calls from those on your ‘Star List’ are possible without having to jump through those extra hoops, and you can also add numbers to a block list.
Phone preference service – register with TPS by text message
Despite more than 17 million domestic phone numbers registered with the TPS, the government program appears to have done little to reduce nuisance calls – at least in my experience. Telemarketing companies are supposed to check this database and avoid calling these numbers.
You can register your number on the TPS, but it’s just one step to eliminating all nuisance calls. Many companies ignore the rules or call from outside Britain, meaning the rules don’t apply.
Since May 2016 it has become a lot easier to manage your mobile number on the TPS, because this can now be done by text message. Just type TPS followed by your e-mail address Unpleasant 78070 to register in the official Do Not Call database.
Get Caller ID
As long as you have a compatible phone, you can ask your telephone provider if it is possible to display the caller’s number. Most companies offer the service for free.
If the calling number is in your phone’s address book, the name will be displayed instead. On the BT handset I used until recently, international calls were marked exactly this way, and as we don’t have any overseas relations (or friends who would call) it’s easy to avoid answering calls from someone we don’t know . .
Actively block calls
The main problem with nuisance calls is that even if you know you shouldn’t answer them, it’s still annoying that you have to listen to or get up on the phone to find out who’s calling.
Your telephone provider may be able to block certain numbers, but this usually costs money, usually a few euros per month. BT calls this Choose to Refuse, but it also has other ‘calling features’ including blocking all hidden UK numbers.
That’s where call blockers come into the picture. These are boxes that you connect to your existing landline. I tried one from Amazon – the CPR 1200 – which costs £29.99. If annoying calls really bother you, it’s worth it for the peace and quiet.
The box comes with 200 known nuisance numbers already programmed, but you can easily add a new number by pressing the button at the top after you answer a call and discover it’s a nuisance or unsolicited caller. (This only works if the calling number is visible via caller ID and you need caller ID for the box to work at all.)
With the CPR 1200 you can also block international calls, hidden or private numbers and entire area codes. Everything is done via your phone’s keypad and the phone comes with a quick reference sticker so you don’t have to remember the combinations before you press them. Because the box is powered via the telephone line, it does not require a mains adapter, so it is convenient and easy to install.
It can even handle two phone lines and two handsets.
BT cordless home phone with nuisance call blocking
An alternative to a separate box is a new telephone with similar functions built in. BT’s premium cordless home phone with nuisance call blocking costs £94.10.
The main handset contains buttons for controlling the built-in answering machine and synchronizes the address book with other handsets (there are single, dual and trio handset packages). When someone calls, the phone automatically answers and the person is asked to give his or her name. Only then will it call and alert you. You will then hear a message telling you who is calling and you can choose whether to forward the call to the answering machine only once, always, or always block it.
Friends and family will come through automatically as long as their number is in your address book. You can sync your cell phone contacts with your home phone for easy setup.
Another nice feature of the phone is Do Not Disturb, which mutes the ringer and LEDs. You can tag certain people as VIP in the address book so that their calls still go through.
Block numbers on your mobile phone
The above options are fine if you suffer from annoying calls on your landline, but nowadays it is increasingly becoming a problem on mobile phones.
For specific ways to block callers on your smartphone, see Block a Number on iPhone and Block a Number on Android.
