The FTC says that if you answer a phone call and you’re talking to a computer and not a human being, you’ve received a “robocall.” While some can be useful — weather alerts, appointment reminders, community updates — sales pitches, political messages and scams can be annoying at best and dangerous at worst. The Traced Act of 2020 is a law that toughens punishments against illegal robocalls and requires phone companies to check whether a call is genuine. Still, some robocalls manage to sneak their way through. Fortunately, there’s Nomorobo, an app that screen calls and prevents them from making their way through to you. If you have a Smartphone, the cost for the service is $1.99 a month or $19.99 per year. There’s a 14-day free trial to let you decide if it’s right for you. If, however, you want to use the service on a landline, it’s free. To use Nomorobo on your Smartphone, simply download the app. To activate it on your iPhone, click on Phone, then click on Call Blocking & Identification and then enable Nomorobo. For Android, open the app, choose a subscription plan, enter your phone number, select your setting (Identify or Block [Send to Voicemail]). To set up service on a landline, go to Nomorobo’s website and click on “Traditional (Copper) Phone. For landlines, Nomorobo uses a simultaneous ring feature. When your phone rings, it also rings the Nomorobo service at the same time. If the service picks up the call and identifies it as a robocaller, Nomorobo hangs up the call for you. If you hear only one ring, that means Nomorobo intercepted the call and hung up. If you hear two rings, the service thinks the call is legitimate.
