Most spam calls are annoying but are harmless beyond that; you hear a recorded voice spout off about student loan debt forgiveness, dental care plans, solar panels, and so on, and ... you hang up.
Sometimes, however, the unwanted call in question is placed by an actual person, and in the worst cases, it will be a scammer trying to deceive you into giving them money. Here's a quick tip to keep in mind during tax time: the IRS will never call you trying to collect cash. If anyone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service contacts you and asks for funds, end that call immediately.
The silver lining here is that you can take steps to lessen the number of spam calls you get, with said steps being quite easy if you use an iPhone: just block every spam number that ever calls you.
To block a number on an iPhone, just follow these simple steps.
How to block a phone number on your iPhone
1. From the home screen, tap on the phone icon (the white phone in a green square, which is likely located at the bottom of your phone in the favorites bar).
2. Tap the "Recents" icon to see the calls that have come into your phone in chronological order.
3. Tap the info icon, which is a blue "i" in a blue circle in the column at the right side of the screen, that's in line with the number at issue.
4. Tap the words "Block this caller" at the bottom of the next screen.
5. Tap the red words "Block Contact" on the pop up message to confirm.
If you've done it right, the contact will now have the words "Unblock this Caller" at the bottom of the screen, and your phone will prevent any calls or texts from coming through. Now, move on to the next one!
How to block one of the contacts in your iPhone
Blocking a contact that's already in your iPhone is even easier. If you're done being in contact with someone you know, go to your contacts, tap their name, and hit "Block this Caller" at the bottom of their contact page. That's it. They're blocked.
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