 Spam calls are worse than ever. That's not just my opinion. It's not just how we all feel. It's true. Robocall complaints to the Federal Trade Commission have quintupled since 2009, and they jumped steeply in just the past year to four and a half million total. And that's just robocalls. There are another two and a half million complaints about live telemarketers. So what on earth can we do to start fighting back against all these spammy calls? There are three steps you can take. They won't solve the problem entirely, but if you're fed up, this is what you can do to start fighting back. Okay, so step number one, use a call blocking app. There are a whole bunch of these, and they all try to do the same thing. Block spam calls before you have to answer your phone. Some of the most popular include Hiya and Truecaller, which are free, and Nomorobo and Robokiller, which require a subscription. We're gonna use Nomorobo because it won the FTC's Robocall Blocking Challenge, but these all work more or less the same, and they work for both iOS and Android. Once you've installed it, you'll have to give the app permission to handle your caller ID. The app's also a huge, constantly updating list of known spammers, and then it checks those numbers against who's calling you. If it sees that a known spammer is calling you, it either won't let the number through, or it'll identify you when they're calling. If the app does let a spam call through by accident, then you can tell it that, and it'll then factor that information in for everybody else to help block even more spam calls. Since most of these apps are free, there's no harm in just trying one out to see how it works for you. But before we go any further, what's behind all these spam calls anyway? Well, since our private numbers are basically everywhere now, linked to our online accounts, pasted in our email signatures, and printed on business cards, and giving our phone numbers to pretty much everyone, there's a good chance they'll be shuffled along to someone they shouldn't. Plus, thanks to auto-dialing software and the internet, scammers can place thousands of calls a minute for really cheap. They can even guess at numbers if they want to. And once they're dialed, the auto-dialer can then play back a pre-recorded message that someone picked up. Technology is also making spammers more clever, letting them disguise their phone number as a local one with your own area code. That way, you're more likely to answer, giving each fake call a better chance of landing. But why do we receive so many spam calls? Well, as you can guess, someone is profiting from this. The caller ID company Truecaller estimates that phone scammers made 9.5 billion in 2016 from Americans alone. And the more calls they send out, the more chances they have of finding the target. And while this is a huge problem, it's actually really hard to crack down on. Making spammy calls like these are largely illegal in the US, but robocalls can be placed from overseas, and there's not much the United States can do about that. And for phone service providers, it can be hard to tell whether a call that's coming in is from a scammer or from someone you actually want to get in touch with. They have to be careful not to block any calls that really should have been let through. And it's important to note that some robocalls are legal. Your pharmacy might call you. Your prescription is ready. Or your child's school. We are closed due to inclement weather. Or even an airline. Your gate has changed. Generally speaking, these are all legal. The focus is on those calls from scammers claiming you want a free cruise, or they can lower your interest rate, or that the FBI is looking for you. The service YouMail estimates that 30% to 40% of all robocalls are scams, and you definitely shouldn't be receiving those calls. All right, so what else can you do to stop spam calls? Well, there are a few other things. First, make sure your number is on the national Do Not Call registry if you're in the United States. Assuming those calls were coming in legally, that could start to come down on some of them. Second, see what your phone provider can do. AT&T and T-Mobile both offer services that are designed to identify spammy callers when they hit your phone. Verizon and Sprint have similar services, but they all charge you for it. And finally, know what to do when you do get a spam call. Don't talk, don't press any buttons, don't let them know that a human is on the line, or they might be more likely to call back. Also, be aware of what some of the common phone scams are, like free travel packages, so you don't give them your time or money. If you really do wanna talk to somebody, consider calling them back from a number that you know is legitimate. Also, and this is really important, when you're handing out your information over the phone, make sure you're really identifying yourself rather than handing your identity to somebody who doesn't already have it. Unfortunately, it might never be possible to fully put a stop to robocalls, but you're not defenseless against them. The government and phone carriers are doing their best to put a stop to them, and if you take some of these steps, you'll be able to start reducing the annoyance. Hey, thanks for watching. This is part of our series Workflow, where we show you how we're using our own tech to make our lives a little bit easier. If you wanna see some more, be sure to subscribe to The Verge.