Are you tired of receiving unwanted calls from unknown numbers or from call centers that offer you commercial offers? Do you know that there is a way to block or report these numbers and put an end to so-called harassment? In this article, you’ll learn how to tell if a number is calling you in a harassing way, how to block it, and what to do if the number you’re calling is a call center or a company.
We’ll also give you some useful tips to avoid receiving unwanted calls in the future. Read the article and solve the problem of annoying calls once and for
all!
Table of Contents:
How to tell if a number is calling us in a harassing way
To understand if a number is calling us in a harassing way, the first signal is the frequency of calls. If we receive more than one call per day from the same number, it could be an indicator of possible telephone harassment. In addition, the time of the calls may also turn out to be suspicious. For example, if we always receive calls at the same time, perhaps during meals or late in the evening, this could be annoying behavior. Another way to understand if a number is calling us unintentionally is to check the area code of the user that calls us. If we don’t know the number and it turns out to be from abroad or from a region other than ours, it could be a phishing attempt or telephone spam. For these reasons, it’s important to pay attention to unwanted calls and to be careful never to provide personal information during a telephone conversation with a stranger
.
How to block a number that always calls
If we want to block a number that is calling us in a harassing way, we can do it through the settings of our smartphone. Most phones allow you to block unwanted numbers, both on Android and iOS. On the Android operating system, for example, it is possible to block a number by selecting it from the list of received calls or messages received, clicking on the ‘i’ icon next to the number and then selecting the ‘Block the number’ option. On the iPhone, on the other hand, it is possible to block a contact by going to the address book, selecting it and then clicking on ‘Block this contact’. Alternatively, you can also use some apps to block unwanted numbers, such as Truecaller or Mr. Number. Once the number has been blocked, you will no longer be able to call or send us messages
.
How to report a number that always calls to the appropriate authorities
If blocking the number doesn’t solve the problem of annoying calls, we can report the number to the appropriate authorities. In Italy, there is the Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM), which is responsible for protecting consumers in the telecommunications sector. To report a number that is calling us in an annoying way, you can contact the AGCOM “SOS TELEPHONE” service, filling out an online form or sending a report by fax or mail. In the report we must provide all the information related to the number that is harassing us, such as the frequency and time of the calls, any messages or commercial offers received and other details useful for identifying the person responsible. Once the report has been received, AGCOM can intervene against the telephone operator or company that made the unwanted calls, sanctioning them or even suspending their telephone operator’s license
.
What to do if the number you always call is a call center or a company
If the number that is calling us in a harassing way is a call center or a company, we can act in different ways. First, we can try to kindly ask not to receive more commercial calls, specifying that we are not interested in their offers. If this doesn’t work, we can opt for the solution of blocking the number or reporting to the competent authorities. It is important to know that companies and call centers are required to comply with privacy and personal data protection regulations, and therefore cannot make calls without our prior consent. If we have already provided our consent but wish to revoke it, we can do so by sending an email or letter to the company or call center in question, specifying that we no longer want to receive advertising calls from them. In the event of a violation of privacy regulations, we can report the company to the competent authorities or have recourse to our protection rights under the Consumer Code
.
Useful tips to avoid receiving unwanted calls
To avoid receiving unwanted calls, there are some useful tips that we can follow. First, it’s important to never give out personal information to strangers who call us on the phone, such as a credit card number or tax number. In addition, it is useful to always read the privacy statements carefully when you agree to provide your telephone number to a company or call center. We can also choose not to provide our telephone number indiscriminately on the internet or on social networks, to prevent it from being used by third parties for advertising purposes. Other useful tips are not to respond to unknown numbers and to install an anti-spam app on our smartphone, such as those mentioned above. Finally, if we have already received unwanted calls from a certain number, we can report it to the blacklist of unwanted numbers on specialized websites, in order to alert other users of the potential risk
associated with that telephone number.
In conclusion, unwanted calls can be very annoying and sometimes even dangerous for our privacy. However, there are several solutions to solve this problem, such as blocking the number, reporting to the competent authorities or using anti-spam apps. It’s important to pay attention to the calls we receive and never give out personal information to strangers. In addition, we can follow some useful tips to avoid receiving unwanted calls in the future, such as not providing our telephone number indiscriminately and installing an anti-spam app on our smartphone. We remind you that companies and call centers are required to comply with privacy and personal data protection regulations, and therefore cannot make calls without our prior consent. With these measures, we can protect our privacy and enjoy greater peace of mind during our days.
