How to Block Spam and Scam Calls in Australia

Fastest fix: silence callers who aren’t in your contacts

If most of your spam comes from numbers you don’t know, silencing unknown callers stops the phone ringing while still letting those calls go to voicemail — so a legitimate caller can still leave a message.

iPhone

1. Open Settings → Apps → Phone (on older iOS, just Settings → Phone).
2. Tap Silence Unknown Callers and turn it on.
3. Calls from numbers not in your Contacts, recent outgoing calls, or Siri suggestions now go straight to voicemail.

Android

1. Open the Phone app → ⋮ (more) → Settings.
2. Tap Caller ID & spam and turn on See caller and spam ID and Filter spam calls.
3. For a stricter setting, open Settings → Blocked numbers and turn on Unknown / Private numbers where available.

Block a specific number

When one number keeps calling, block it directly. Blocking is per-device and the caller isn’t told.

• iPhone: open Recents, tap the ⓘ info button next to the number, scroll down and tap Block this Caller.
• Android: press and hold the number in Recents, then choose Block / Report spam.

Not sure whether to block? Look the number up on EndSpam first to see how many people reported it and what they reported it as. You can also browse the most-reported spam numbers and numbers reported as scams.

Turn on your carrier’s scam-call blocking

Australian carriers block millions of scam calls at the network level before they reach your phone. Most of this is automatic, but some controls are opt-in:

• Telstra — automatic scam-call blocking is on by default for most services; the Telstra app shows blocked-call activity. Cleaner Pipes blocks known malicious traffic.
• Optus — Call Stop and network scam-call filtering reduce known scam numbers; manage extra blocking in the My Optus app.
• TPG / iiNet / Vodafone — network-level scam filtering is applied automatically; check your provider’s app or support page for any per-line blocking options.

Carrier blocking and your phone settings stack — use both. Under the industry code Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMS, providers are required to identify and block scam calls, which is why the volume has fallen since 2020 but never to zero.

Stop legitimate telemarketing: the Do Not Call Register

Blocking handles individual nuisance numbers, but the Do Not Call Register is the tool for cutting legitimate telemarketing — sales and marketing calls from Australian businesses. It’s free, run by the ACMA, and takes a few minutes. Note that it does not stop scammers, who ignore the register entirely.

When blocking isn’t enough: report it

Scammers cycle through thousands of spoofed numbers, so blocking one is a short-term fix. Reporting builds the shared picture that warns the next person and helps networks block the source:

• Report the number on EndSpam so others searching it see your warning.
• Report scams to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au (run by the National Anti-Scam Centre).
• Report unwanted marketing calls to the ACMA if a business ignores the Do Not Call Register.