Stop those unwanted scam calls using these tips

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The government and mobile carriers are taking steps to crack down on scammers that steal billions of dollars from consumers each year by calling or texting. When it comes to scams and robocalls, you should be getting fewer of these calls.

Steve Carlson with T-Mobile says, "We had another record year for the number of scam calls identified and blocked. It was more than forty billion which is a 75% increase over 2021."

To be exact, T-Mobile says their Scam Shield technology blocked 41.5 billion scam calls in 2022, and if you break that number down that's 1,317 hundred calls identified or blocked every second.

When it comes to the trends of these calls, T-Mobile's 2022 Scam Report found scammers like to keep regular office hours.

"They don't like making scam calls on weekends, I mean, like we don't like working weekends any more than anyone else, right? So we see a significant drop off in scam calls, not only on weekends but during major holidays," Carlson added.

You can take action to help cut down on the scam and robocalls you get, by reporting the calls to your carrier. You can also block scam numbers. If you have an iPhone, on the phone number you want to block, click on the "i" in the circle, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select block this call.

On an Android phone, in the phone app's call log, tap on the number you wish to block, then tap the information button and tap block in the bottom right or at the bottom of the screen. Make sure your phone number is also on the Do Not Call Registry.

You can also block text messages, you just need to copy and paste the text into a new message and send it to 7726, which spells SPAM. You can also report the numbers to the Federal Communications Commission. The agency recently passed new rules requiring mobile service providers to block certain "robotext" messages that are likely illegal.