In today’s digital age, receiving unwanted calls has become a common occurrence. Among them, you have noticed calls labeled as “Potential Spam” on your caller ID. These calls can be annoying and harmful.
In this article, you will find out what “Potential Spam” calls mean. You will learn why they occur. Most importantly, you will understand what steps you can take to deal with them effectively.
What Does “Potential Spam” Calling Mean?
For clarification, it’s important to understand something. If the caller ID displays “Potential Spam,” it does not mean your iPhone has been hacked. There are no similar concerns related to this.
Rather, this label serves as a cautionary indication. The incoming call is a robocall, spam, or fraudulent in nature.
Verizon has implemented measures to recognize and flag scams, telemarketing, and robocalls as unwanted. Consequently, when calls originate from such numbers, this notification appears as a reminder to exercise caution when answering them.
Potential Spam” calls are flagged by your phone’s caller ID or spam detection system, as suspected spam or unwanted calls. These calls often come from telemarketers, scammers, or automated systems that try to deceive or defraud you.
Why Do “Potential Spam” Calls Happen?
There are several reasons why you might receive “Potential Spam” calls:
Telemarketing is a factor of “potential spam” calling. Companies use automated systems to make unsolicited sales calls, hoping to reach a large audience.
Fraudsters employ various tactics to trick you. They impersonate government agencies, banks, or legitimate businesses. Their goal is to make you reveal personal information or make payments.
It is also robocalls. Automated systems can generate and dial numbers at random, including yours, without any specific targeting.
What To Do About “Potential Spam” Calls
If you get a Potential Spam call, the first step is to refrain from answering it. Still, it’s worth noting that automated systems can occasionally make errors. Sometimes, Verizon mistakenly labels a valid call as spam.
Although rare, such instances can occur. Here, it is recommended to allow the call to go to voicemail. Later, you can check your voicemail messages to decide whether the call was legitimate or not.
To further handle spam calls, you have the option to turn on the Silence Unknown Callers feature. This feature will block incoming spam calls.
When enabled, calls from unknown numbers will be directly sent to voicemail. Calls from contacts with whom you have not earlier communicated will also be sent to voicemail.
The number will still be visible in your Recent Calls list. To turn on this feature, navigate to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.
If you often get calls from a specific number, you can easily block that number. Once blocked, you will no longer get any call notifications from it. Those calls will not in your recent call list. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that blocked numbers can still leave voicemails.
To further enhance your call-blocking capabilities, you can activate the Silence Junk Callers feature, which is specific to Verizon.
Please note that this choice is not be available in the Settings menu if you are using a different carrier. Since “Potential Spam” is a Verizon notification, you can assume default already enabled this feature.
Nonetheless, it’s advisable to verify its status. To check, go to Settings > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification. Make sure that Silence Junk Callers is turned on. With this feature activated, calls from questionable sources will be silenced and will appear in your recent calls list.
Another useful feature is Business ID, which lets you filter calls based on the displayed company name.
To turn on Business ID, go to settings. Then, navigate to the phone. Select Call Blocking & Identification. Finally, toggle the switch next to Business ID. Once activated, you will recognize incoming calls linked to specific businesses.
Conclusion
“Potential Spam” calls can be bothersome. Understanding what they are and how to handle them empowers you to protect yourself.
By implementing the strategies outlined above, you can minimize the impact of spam calls. You can also reduce the risk of falling victim to scams or fraud.
Stay vigilant, stay informed, and take the necessary steps to safeguard your privacy and security in an increasingly connected world.
