What Happens If You Answer a Spam Call? And How To Stop Them!

Spam calls—ugh, they are among the most irritating things all of us face today. You know the drill: your phone is ringing, and then comes the pick-up; bang—you’re either hit with a robotic voice or a pushy scammer trying to reel you in for something shady. Have you ever thought about what really happens when you answer that call? But what if you answer a spam call? How does that affect you, and how can you escape it?

Keep reading this article to learn what you need to do if you encounter a spam or robocall.

What Are Robocalls and Spam Calls?

Now, before we delve into deeper details, it is important to understand that spam calls and robocalls are fundamentally different.

Robocalls are basically prerecorded calls. When you call someone and an automated voice speaks to you, that is what is known as a robocall. Sometimes robocalls are for valid reasons – such as when calling your mobile operator, bank, or doctor’s appointment. But for other times, robocalls are a straight trap for fraud or an unwanted sales pitch.

Spam calls are more general. These calls are unwanted and are mainly done to deceive you. While robocalls are definitely also a kind of spam, they are not the same. It is easier to understand this way: All spam calls are deceiving, and some robocalls might be spam calls. Some spam calls also involve a real person trying to deceive you by prying sensitive and personal information out of you. This is mainly done to trick you out of your hard-earned cash or bank account. 

Are Robocalls Legal?

So are these robocalls even legal? Well, that depends on where you live. Here in the United States, some robocalls are actually legal—in fact, specifically, those that give useful information like the following:

• Flight cancellations:  A call letting you know your flight’s been canceled
• Debt collection: Legitimate businesses trying to collect a debt might make use of robocalls.
• Healthcare reminders: Your pharmacy might call you to remind you to fill the prescription again.
• Charity Calls: Charities may legally make robocalls, particularly when they call past donors.

But here is the rub: robocalls that try to sell you something without your written consent are totally illegal, as are robocalls specifically designed to scam you. The United States has passed a 2020 law known as the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act aimed at clamping down on these pesky and often illegal calls, increasing fines for scams from $1,500 to a whopping $10,000 per call.

What if You Answer a Spam Call?

So, what really happens if you answer? Well, here are some of the results, and none of them are good:

You’re Marked as “Active.” By answering, you just told the scammer—or their automated system—that your number is live. Congrats, you are now on their radar, and you can expect even more spam calls.

1. More Scams Headed Your Way: Since they now know that the number is live—meaning someone does answer the phone—they’re likely to target you with a lot more scams, catching you off guard.

2. You Could be Scammed: Some of these scams are so believable. They could contain threats, urgent warnings, or fake deals that seem so wonderful that you can’t afford to pass them up. You may give away personal information or even send money by engaging the caller.

3. They Could Record Your Voice: Some robocalls start by asking a question such as, “Can you hear me?” If you respond “yes”, they could record your voice and then use the recording to authorize fraudulent transactions, for example, charging items to your credit card.

How to Identify a Spam Call

These days, spam calls can be so tricky. They particularly depend on this trick called “spoofing.” What happens is that the spam caller uses a fake caller ID so that when the number shows up on your phone, it seems familiar and genuine. To ensure that this does not trick you, here are some easy ways to identify a spam call. 

• Unsolicited Calls: Be suspicious of calls from unknown numbers or businesses that you don’t know or have never signed up, or been familiar with.
• Too Good to Be True Offers: If you believe that an offer on call is too good to be true, trust that gut feeling because you’re probably right on the mark.
• Threatening Language: If the person on the call threatens to sue or close your account if you don’t comply with their terms, chances are you’re being scammed. 
• Requests for Personal Information: Legitimate companies won’t ask for sensitive information—like your Social Security number or credit-card details—over the phone.

What Should You Do If You Answer a Spam Call?

Oops, You Just Answered a Spam Call – What to Do Now What to Do: 

• Hang up right away: The faster you do this, the less likely you are to be targeted again. 
• Never Engage: Never talk or respond to the voice prompts; engaging can confirm that your number is active and alive.
• Avoid Saying “Yes”: If you do speak, avoid saying “yes” to anything. This could be recorded and used against you.
• Report the Call: If you receive such spam calls, do the right thing from your end. Report these calls to the FTC or at donotcall.gov. These authorities work to help track down scammers and eventually decrease the volume of spam calls that annoy people on a daily basis. 

What Happens If You Call Back a Spam Number?

Calling back on a spam call is not a good idea at all. It may result in high charges, especially if they are using a premium rate line. You’re also letting them know that you have an active number, which allows more spam callers to contact you. 

Types of Spam Calls

Spam calls come in all sorts of designs and sizes, each with a nasty trick. Here are some common types:

1. Impersonation Calls: These calls are masked to appear as if they have your local area code or even the names of your contacts—these are all an attempt to make you pick up. IRS Scams: A man identifies himself as an IRS representative and threatens that legal action will be enforced if one does not pay a phony tax bill. Charity Scams: Fake charities make one feel guilty into donating.

2. Vacation Scams: Free or super-cheap vacations; just give them your credit card information— don’t do it.

3. Health Insurance Scams: Scammers call and tell targets they must switch or upgrade their health insurance to avoid penalties. Loan Scams: Someone offers you an easy loan but for a small upfront fee, and then you will never see or hear from them again. 

4. Customer Care Scams: A scammer acts as if he is the customer service department of big companies and tries to attract consumer private information. 

5. Free Trial Scams: “Free” product or service requests your credit card to turn around and charge you for unwanted things.

6. SEO/Google scams: These are risks to small businesses stating that they will be deleted from Google listings unless they purchase services that really aren’t required. 

7. Local Map Verification Scams: Someone will call and ask you to provide personal information to verify your business’s map listing.

8. Chinese Robocalls: Robocalls done in Mandarin, most of them purporting to be from the Chinese Embassy, aiming at Chinese-speaking people who believe they have problems with their immigration status. 

How to Stop Spam Calls

Dealing with spam calls means to be proactive. Here is how you block or reduce them:

1. Block Spam Calls on Your Smartphone

For iPhone Users:

• Using the Phone app, press “Recents” and locate the number you want to block.
• Next to the number will be a blue “i” icon; tap on it, scroll down, and hit “Block this Caller.”
• Silence all unknown callers by going into your “Settings,” then “Phone,” and toggle “Silence Unknown Callers” green.

For Android Users:

• Open the Phone app and then “Recents” and find the number you want to block.
• Tap the “i” icon, then “Block.” Confirm in pop-up message.
• Block all unknown numbers: Via the Phone app, tap three dots for the drop-down and hit “Settings.” Then hit “Block Numbers” and slide “Block Unknown Callers” to green.

2. Third-Party Apps

There are tons of apps out there that can help block, or at least alert you to, spam calls. You could use any of these apps to block all spam calls, you could also use their DND (Do Not Disturb) feature to report and block repeating and similar kind of spam calls.

3. Stop Spam Calls on Your Landline

Traditional Landlines:

Use a call-blocking device. These devices block calls using either a blacklist of known scam numbers or let you personally add numbers to block.

VoIP Landlines:

Check whether your service provide has features that allow for call-blocking. Many VoIP services, in fact, will block numbers or flag unsolicited calls.

4. Report Spam Calls

It can trace down some of these scammers who are constantly troubling people with such spam calls. All the users, especially those from the U.S., should report these spam calls to the FTC. 

Conclusion

Answering a spam call may open the gates to so much unwanted activity, including potential fraud. However, you now know what happens when you answer, how to identify these calls, and how to block and report them. And the best defense? Don’t pick up unknown numbers, and immediately hang up if you think a call may be spam. So be vigilant and allow spam calls not to hassle or even endanger your life.