LINDEN

How to screen out scam calls and texts on your phone

Free call screening and spam filters on iPhone, Android and US phone networks, plus 7726 and 159 in the UK, and what to do when a scam call gets through.

Source: This guide is anchored on the public service announcement Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials in Fraud Schemes, published by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on September 17, 2026.

Many scams start with a phone call or a text. The number on the screen can look like your bank, the police or a relative, and the voice can sound urgent and sure of itself. Your phone and your phone company already offer free call screening and spam filters that can quietly catch many of these calls before they ring. When one still gets through, the safest answer is the same every time: hang up, do not pay, and call back on a number you already know, such as the one printed on your card.

The FBI’s IC3 warned on September 17, 2026 that scammers mostly make unsolicited phone calls, also use texts and emails, and often spoof real phone numbers of well-known agencies. This guide explains the screening tools that are free to use, what caller ID can and cannot prove, and a few habits that work even when the technology misses a call. Every setting name comes from the official help pages listed under Sources.

Why phone and text scams are hard to spot

The FBI says these callers often spoof authentic phone numbers, names and credentials, use urgent and aggressive tones, keep people on the phone for the whole scam, and tell them not to tell family, friends, their bank or the police. It says payment is demanded by prepaid cards, couriers, bank wires, cryptocurrency, or cash put into cryptocurrency kiosks, and that some scammers use artificial intelligence to appear as officials on video calls.

Spoofing is when a caller deliberately fakes the details shown on your caller ID. The FCC says scammers often use it to look like a local number, or a company or government agency you already trust. Fake texts can do the same. Report Fraud says criminals can spoof the number a text comes from, so it appears in the same thread as genuine messages from your bank.

Voices can be faked too. In a separate warning in December 2025, the FBI said criminals have used AI-generated voice messages, a technique known as vishing, alongside fake texts, known as smishing, and that a cloned voice can sound nearly identical to someone you know.

Who it targets

Anyone with a phone can receive these calls and texts. The FBI says it received nearly 61,000 complaints of law enforcement or government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses of more than $1.6 billion. The same tricks are used by people pretending to be a bank, a delivery company or a grandchild in trouble, so screening helps with many kinds of scam at once.

Warning signs

  • A familiar name or number on the screen asking for money or personal details. Caller ID can be faked.
  • A threat of arrest, a fine or a frozen account unless you act right now.
  • Being told to stay on the line, or to keep the call secret from your family or your bank.
  • A request to pay by gift card, prepaid card, cryptocurrency, a crypto kiosk, a wire or a courier. The FBI says law enforcement and government officials will never ask for payment this way, and the FCC says if a caller asks you to pay with gift cards, it is a scam.
  • A text with a link and an urgent reason to click it.
  • A loved one’s voice in a panic asking for money, especially from a new number.

Call and text screening already on your phone

These settings are free and built into the phone. They are worth setting up together with an older relative, one phone at a time. Before you switch on anything that silences unknown callers, save the numbers that matter in Contacts: family, the doctor, the pharmacy, the bank’s number from the card. Apple suggests this so those calls always come through.

On an iPhone (names from Apple’s current iOS guide):

  • Screen Unknown Callers. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then Phone. Under Screen Unknown Callers, choose Ask Reason for Calling so your iPhone asks unsaved callers for their name and reason before it rings, or Silence to send them straight to voicemail. Never turns this off. Apple says calls are not screened while you are roaming.
  • Call Filtering. In the same Phone settings, turning on Spam silences calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud and moves them to a Spam list. Turning on Unknown Callers moves calls from unknown numbers to their own list.
  • Screen Unknown Senders for texts. In the Messages app, tap the filter button at the top right, tap Manage Filtering, then turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Apple says messages from unknown senders are filtered into other folders and you are not notified about them.

On Android phones that use Google’s Phone and Messages apps (other makers use their own apps and setting names):

  • Caller ID & spam. Google says caller ID and spam protection is on by default. In the Phone app, tap More options, Settings, then Caller ID and spam. On phones without automatic Call Screen, you can turn on Filter spam calls.
  • Call Screen (Pixel phones). In the Phone app, go to Settings, then Spam and Call Screen or Call Screen, and choose a protection level. Call Screen asks who is calling and why before you pick up. Google says automatic screening works on Pixel phones in the US and the UK, among other countries.
  • Spam protection in Google Messages. Google says suspected spam and scam texts can be kept from reaching you and put in a “Spam & blocked” folder.

No filter catches everything, and filters sometimes catch calls you want. Check the spam and voicemail lists now and then.

Free tools from US phone companies

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile each offer free scam call protection, with paid upgrades for extra features. Get the app from the official app store or ask your phone company using a number from your bill.

  • AT&T ActiveArmor. AT&T says the free version comes with every AT&T wireless plan. In the ActiveArmor app, fraud calls are set to block automatically. AT&T says spam call blocking is not switched on automatically, so turn it on in the app’s Calls tab. Extra features are part of a paid advanced version.
  • Verizon Call Filter. Verizon says Call Filter is free on standard monthly and prepaid plans with a compatible phone, and includes spam detection, a spam filter, a spam and blocked call log and spam reporting. It is now managed in the Verizon Protect app or in My Verizon. Call Filter Plus is a paid upgrade.
  • T-Mobile Scam Shield. T-Mobile says Scam ID, which shows “Scam Likely” on suspected scam calls, and Scam Block, which stops those calls before they reach you, are free. You can turn on Scam Block in the T-Life app or by dialling #662#. Scam Shield Premium costs extra.

In the US you can also forward a scam text to 7726 (it spells SPAM). The FCC says most mobile carriers let you report spam this way, so check with yours.

In the UK: 7726 and 159

  • Forward scam texts to 7726. It is free on UK mobile networks and alerts your provider so it can investigate the sender. You can report a scam call to 7726 too: Report Fraud says to text the word “Call” followed by the caller’s number.
  • Call 159 to reach your bank. If a call about your money worries you, hang up and dial 159. Stop Scams UK says 159 connects customers of most UK retail banks safely and directly with their bank, and that it cannot be spoofed. Mobile UK adds that 159 will never call you.
  • The police non-emergency number is 101, which Report Fraud suggests for checking a call that claimed to be from the police.

What caller ID checks can and can’t do

In the US, the FCC requires phone companies to use a caller ID authentication system called STIR/SHAKEN. It lets your phone company check that a call really comes from the number displayed, and it helps companies decide which calls to block or label as spam.

It is a helpful layer, not a guarantee. The FCC says STIR/SHAKEN only works on internet-based phone networks, and that you may not be able to tell right away if a call is spoofed. A checked number also tells you nothing about whether the person on the line is honest.

The UK does not use STIR/SHAKEN, and Ofcom has said it will not bring in a similar caller ID check for now. Instead, Ofcom expects UK phone companies to block calls from abroad that falsely show a UK number, but it says it will not be possible to stop all scams reaching people. As Report Fraud puts it, “Don’t trust the Caller ID display on your phone – it’s not proof of ID.”

Do Not Call lists: helpful, but not a scam filter

  • US: register home and mobile numbers free on the National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov or on 1-888-382-1222, calling from the number you want to register. The FCC describes it as a list that legitimate telemarketers agree not to call, so it will not stop scammers. DoNotCall.gov adds that charities, political groups, debt collectors and surveys may still call.
  • UK: the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the official free register for landlines and mobiles to opt out of unsolicited live sales and marketing calls.

Both cut down legal sales calls. Neither will stop a criminal, so the habits below still matter.

How to protect yourself

  • Hang up and call back on a number you know. The FBI says to contact an agency using official, publicly available details, not contact information the caller gives you. Report Fraud suggests a number from a bill or the back of your card. Genuine organisations will not mind.
  • Agree a family safe word. The FBI advises creating a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identities. Report Fraud says to agree a safe phrase with close family and friends, never share it outside that group, and hang up if a caller claiming to be family cannot say it.
  • Treat gift cards and crypto as a stop sign. No real agency, bank or court asks to be paid with gift cards, prepaid cards or cryptocurrency, or sends a courier for cash.
  • Do not click links in unexpected texts. Go to the organisation’s website or app yourself.
  • Never share a code or a password with someone who called or texted you.
  • Let unknown calls go to voicemail. The FCC suggests not answering calls from unknown numbers. A real caller can leave a message.

A simple family plan

  • Set up screening together. Sit down together and turn on the settings above on each phone, and save the important numbers in Contacts first.
  • Choose a safe word for “I’m in trouble” calls, and practise asking for it. If the voice sounds right but cannot say it, hang up and call the person on their usual number. Our post on grandparent bail calls shows how these calls usually go.
  • Keep the bank’s number from the card, 159 in the UK, and a family member’s number somewhere easy to find.
  • Agree a call-me-first rule for any call or text that asks for money, a code or secrecy.
  • Remove the shame. Make it clear that nobody will be cross about hanging up on a real caller, or about a call that nearly worked.

Scams don’t stop at borders

The FBI’s warning comes from the United States, but spoofed calls and fake texts reach people in the UK, Canada and everywhere else, and a scam call can come from anywhere in the world. Wherever you live, it is worth knowing what your phone can screen, staying informed, and being wise before sending money because of a call or text you did not expect.

The same pattern elsewhere

In the UK, Report Fraud, run by the City of London Police, warned about scam calls using spoofed police phone numbers on October 15, 2026. It said criminals use spoofing software to make calls or texts look as if they come from trusted organisations such as the police, banks or government agencies, and that these calls may use AI, be automated or come from a real person. It advises ending the call, contacting the organisation directly using details you have found yourself, and reporting the call by texting 7726. You can read more in our post on calls from fake bank staff.

What to do if you’ve been affected

If you have paid or shared details, please do not feel ashamed. These callers are practised at sounding official. Stop all contact and keep any messages and call records. Then:

  • US: file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you are 60 or older and need help filing with IC3, call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline on 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). To report an unwanted call, use DoNotCall.gov or file a complaint with the FCC.
  • UK: call 159 to reach your bank (Stop Scams UK) and report to Report Fraud or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, Report Fraud says to call Police Scotland on 101. Forward scam texts to 7726.
  • Canada: report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to your local police.
  • Contact your bank on the number printed on your card or statement, not a number from the call or the text.

How Linden helps

Linden is being built so older adults and their families can talk a money decision through with someone they trust. Phone settings can catch many scam calls, but when one gets through, a quick call to someone you trust is often what stops it.

Sources

Alerts

US regulators

Phone settings and carrier tools

UK services

All scams