Do you regularly receive calls from numbers you don’t recognise? You’re not alone.
Today, I received what seems to be a weekly ‘mystery’ call from an unknown caller. The 02 8036 4732 number suggested the call was coming from NSW, but this isn’t always the case, as overseas operators are able to buy Australian numbers to hook their services through.
The rise of nuisance calls has led to a big increase in Australians taking to Google to determine who is calling them. Follow the steps below to determine who is calling you and how to block a number on your mobile device.
Open Google on your web browser. Type in ‘Who is calling me from’ and then enter the number. For this example, we will use 02 8036 4732.
For this number, there are several sources giving us quality information on who has called me. The top link has ‘4 Complaints’ in the headline from a website called Reverse Australia. This particular website allows users to post information on exactly who the number relates to, and to allow other users to look it up. In this instance, the four responses didn’t answer our question.
The second link in your Google search list should be ‘Should I answer?’. In the description area, we are told there are three user reviews of this number, so this is worth visiting.
Scrolling to the bottom, we find out from the third review that someone named ‘Foss’ has identified the caller as the charity company Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), although Foss spells it as ‘Medicans Sans Frontiers’.
Alternatively, you can use a reverse lookup service. Here are a few you can access for free:
- www.reverseaustralia.com
- www.whocallsmeau.com
- www.personlookup.com.au
- www.reverseau.com
- www.investigateway.com.au
To use these services, simply type in the number that’s calling you and they will try to identify the caller for you. It works a lot of the time, but it’s not always successful, as the ID occurs as a result of other people, who have answered nuisance calls, making reports to the service.
How to block numbers on smartphones
If you don’t want to receive calls from a number, follow these steps to block the number on your smartphone.
iPhones
Open your iPhone and click on the phone call symbol.
Press on the ‘Recents’ tab.
Press the (i) information symbol next to the number or contact that you wish to block.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and press ‘Block this caller’.
To see the numbers and contacts you’ve blocked go to ‘Settings’ and press ‘Phone’ to open a new options window. Scroll down and press ‘Call Blocking & Identification’.
Want to never be hassled by an Unknown Caller again? Watch the video below to see how to block ‘unknown callers’ on your iPhone.
Android phones
Open your recent calls.
Hold your finger on the contact or number you wish to block.
A new window will pop up. Press ‘Block number’.
If this doesn’t work on your android phone, tap on the three-dot menu icon on the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then, press ‘Settings’. From the next menu that appears, press ‘Call Blocking’ and add the number you wish to block in this area.
Android – Samsung
Open the phone call area.
Select the number/contact you wish to block.
Press the ‘More’ button located in the top right-hand corner.
Select ‘Add to Auto-Reject List’.
You can view and make edits by visiting ‘Settings’ and then selecting ‘Call Settings’ followed by pressing ‘All Calls’ and then selecting ‘Auto Reject’.
Android – LG
Open the phone call area.
Press the three-dot icon at the top right-hand corner.
Press ‘Call Settings’.
Press ‘Reject Calls’.
Press the + button and add the number you wish to block.
Android – HTC
Open the phone call area.
Press and hold the phone number you wish to block.
Press ‘Block Contact’.
Press ‘OK’.
If you ever wish to remove a contact from the blocked list, visit the ‘People’ app.
Android – Apps
There are several call blocking apps on the Android store. We have listed below the three we feel do the job well.
1. Mr Number
2. Call Blocker
3. Calls Blacklist
Do you receive calls from unknown numbers often? Have you noticed an increase recently? Let us know in the comments section below.
So Australian phone companies are largely to blame for the scams we experience by selling Australian phone numbers to overseas people who they have no idea who they are? Why is it that any individual or company in Australia has to go through the third degree of identification (look at the personal data stolen from Optus) to get a phone number but foreigners don’t.?
If you block unknown numbers, however you do it that, surely it means that every number you ever expect to ring you back needs to be put into your contacts. This can be very onerous.. If a company is supposed to ring you about a delivery, price or availability but uses one of its many other lines, you will miss the call?
If a legitimate company rings and you do not answer as the number is unknown to you, they should always leave a message. I never answer a call from an unknown number. If they do not leave a message even if they call a second time, they are blocked. I block all unknown numbers that do not leave a message.
Scam messages that have been left a few times over the years have been easy to detect and quickly blocked.
My phone system sometimes flags a number they think is spam then I can check and accept or block it.
I have a very long list of blocked numbers!