Stop Scams! Your Phone's Address Book is Your Best Defense
Worried about those endless spam calls and tricky scams? Your phone has a simple yet powerful tool to help you fight back, and it's something you already use every day: your contacts list!
It's all about how your phone decides what name to display when a call comes in.
How Your Phone Looks Up Callers
When your phone rings, it gets information about who is calling from two places:
Your Personal Contacts: This is your list of friends, family, doctors, and other trusted numbers that you have saved yourself. Your phone trusts this list most of all.
The Carrier's Database: For any unknown number, your cell phone carrier (like Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile) looks up the number in a large, public database.
Your Contacts Are the Top Priority
The secret is that your phone always gives top priority to your own saved contacts. If a number is in your address book, your phone will show the name you saved, not what the carrier's database says.
This is a huge advantage for you.
It Prevents False Alarms: Ever heard of a legitimate company or doctor's office being mistakenly flagged as "Spam Likely"? When you have their number saved, your phone ignores that and shows you their real name.
It Exposes Sneaky Scammers: Sophisticated fraudsters can "spoof" a phone number to make it look like they are calling from your same area code. But if your phone sees that the number is saved to your contact "Dr. Smith," not "Local Utility Company," you can immediately spot the scam.
The Simple Way to Protect Yourself
The best thing you can do to protect yourself is very easy: keep your contacts list up to date!
Make it a habit to add the names and numbers of people and organizations you trust. By doing this, you're giving your phone the most reliable information and empowering it to be your first line of defense against unwanted and fraudulent calls.
Here is a table highlighting how it works.
