Receiving a phone call with a number listed as “Restricted” is the virtual equivalent of a knock at your front door when you aren’t expecting company. Not knowing who is calling you or why can be very unsettling, especially if it occurs frequently throughout the day.
Sadly, the majority of people frequently receive these rude and annoying calls. The good news is that you have a lot of options for retaliating against these restricted calls.
A Restricted Call Is What?
When someone calls another person but doesn’t want their call recorded, that call is considered restricted. These types of calls will often appear on a cell phone as “Restricted” when the call is incoming. While determining the precise number of the restricted call can be challenging, you probably just want to block the number.
What’s Up With Restricted Calls, Anyway?
When a person or business doesn’t want the recipient of the call to know who they are or be able to track the call back to them, they typically use restricted calls. A service that is easy to set up and provided by all telecom providers typically includes the feature.
Before making a call, dialing *67 is one of the more popular methods for enabling a restricted call. What will happen is that the call will go through as normal, but with “restricted,” “unknown,” or “private” appearing instead of your actual phone number.
But if it’s a friend you’re calling, you probably want them to answer and see that it’s you. Who exactly is it then that needs to hide using this feature?
Those Who Make Restricted Calls
Although some people might employ this strategy to increase their level of privacy, robocalls, telemarketers, and bill collection companies most frequently do. That’s not to say that every time a restricted call is placed, someone is trying to con you out of money.
However, the caller has specifically chosen to turn off their caller ID in an effort to remain anonymous. For someone you know and trust to bother hiding their phone number doesn’t make much sense.
As a result, the caller is probably someone you don’t know or someone you’re trying to avoid. This begs the question of what to do if you get a restricted call.
What Motivates People To Make Restricted Calls?
Receiving a restricted call may seem strange or dangerous, but there are actually a number of reasons why people restrict their calls. Here are some of them:
1. Restricted Calls Improve Security
A good way to ensure security by remaining anonymous is to use a restricted phone number rather than a regular one. Many individuals and organizations place restricted calls to ensure the privacy of their information and to prevent tracking.
These restricted phone numbers, for instance, are used to increase security by law firms and collection agencies. Since they may have to deal with intense cases, they need to avoid being tracked by recipients using restricted phone numbers
2. Restricted Calls Maintain Privacy
To maintain your level of privacy, you should use a restricted phone number rather than a regular one.
Making restricted calls and keeping your contact information private will help you stay away from bad people.
If malicious individuals obtain your phone number, there is a high likelihood that you will be bothered or scammed. This eliminates the need for you to worry about updating your phone numbers.
Making restricted calls is preferable for hiding your number when calling a stranger or a new person.
When A Phone Number Is Restricted, What Does It Mean
It simply means that the person who is calling you has asked their phone company to hide their caller ID. With most carriers, you can activate this feature either permanently or on a per-call basis by dialing a code. Whether it is a debt collection agency, a company that needs to get information from you, or both, that also implies that the caller’s number is either blocked from accessing private personal information or is still blocked.
As suggested above, you can restrict your own number by dialing a code *67 (Your caller ID and mobile number will be momentarily disabled (start with star 67). It implies that, on the receiving end, your number will be displayed as “Unknown” or “Private Number”.
How Do I Place A Restricted Call On An Android Or Ios Device?
You can hide your caller identity using an Android device while making phone calls in a few simple steps:
Step 1: Go to phone settings.
Step 2: In the settings, look for the “Caller ID” option.
Step 3: Select “Hide My Number” by pressing the button.
(Note: the steps may vary for different smartphones.)
By doing this, you can successfully conceal your phone number from the person you are calling without using the “*67” code.
The “Private/Restricted number” or randomly generated number patterns will appear on the recipient’s phone as they are being called.
If A Call Is Restricted, Should You Answer It?
Even though it won’t always be one, the chances of it being a scammer or bill collector on the other end of a restricted call are fairly high. Answering a call from someone trying to pass as someone else is similar to opening your door to someone wearing a mask. It’s not a given that it will go wrong, but it’s also not very likely that it will turn out well either.
The best course of action when receiving a restricted call is to ignore it and if the caller is really eager to speak with you, allow them to leave a voicemail. If restricted callers do not leave a message outlining the reason for their call and how to contact them, the call was probably made by a scammer or robocall.
How Can You Respond To Repeated Restricted Calls?
It can be extremely annoying to wake up to your phone ringing almost constantly throughout the day. Due to the recent increase in spam and robocalls, it’s regrettable to say that this is starting to happen frequently.
A few laws have been developed over the years to aid in lowering the number of these calls, but they are insufficient to completely halt them. So, if you frequently get these intrusive calls, you’ll probably have to handle it yourself. There are a few ways to prevent these restricted calls from being made.
Landline
It is fairly simple to block restricted calls if you are still using a landline and frequently receive them. Just dial *77 on your phone to get started. When the procedure is finished, you should hear a confirmation message.
The caller will be instructed to unblock their number and try again in an automated message the next time a restricted call is placed to their phone. You can turn off this feature by simply dialing *87 on your phone.
Following another confirmation message, you will start to receive all calls once more.
Cell Phone
Cell phones can make it a little trickier to try to block restricted calls than landlines do. Which service provider you use for your phone is the most crucial factor at play.
For instance, AT&T gives its customers the option to reject restricted and anonymous calls. Nevertheless, depending on your plan, they might add a monthly fee for enabling this service.
When you subscribe to Verizon’s Smart Family Plan, you have the option of blocking calls from restricted numbers. There aren’t any plans or features that will block restricted calls for Sprint or T-Mobile customers at the moment.
Use A Call Blocker App
The ability to block restricted calls is one of the many phone apps that are now available. There are many call-blocking apps available, so make sure you choose one with the features you need.
The best call-blocking apps build what is known as a whitelist of the contacts on your phone. An incoming call from someone on this whitelist will be handled normally.
A restricted or unknown number, however, will automatically be routed to voicemail.
File A Report
You might want to think about making a police report if you consistently get restricted calls or if the messages are threatening or aggressive. If not, the police may be able to help you locate the number using your phone’s records.
A caller may be subject to legal action if they consistently make dozens of calls per day, even if there are no threatening messages.
How To Block Restricted Calls On Android
- Tap on the phone icon provided at the bottom of the home screen
- Click on the (>) symbol next to the restricted number
- Scroll down and select the “Block Number” option provided
- The number is now blocked.
How To Block Restricted Calls On iPhone
- Tap on the phone icon
- Click on the (?) symbol next to the restricted number
- Select “Block this called” to block the restricted call.
Due to the fact that each phone model has a different set of options, the steps may not be applicable to all mobile phone models.
What Makes People Shy Away From Restricted Calls?
Restricted calls aren’t necessarily bad, but the people making them don’t always have the best intentions.
The restricted call has the advantage of being private and secure, which is great for protecting your personal information and your right to privacy but can also be used improperly.
Unscrupulous people are making restricted calls to take advantage of people in a variety of ways, as you are aware the phone numbers are hidden and it is very difficult to track the call. Scamming is one such technique.
Due to these scam calls, people have been losing both money and personal information. Additionally, robocalls may annoy you and scam you for personal information.
For their own safety, people are avoiding these restricted calls. The chances of being conned are completely eliminated by avoiding restricted calls. People have the option to both protect their crucial data and stay safe from malicious activity.
Restricted Call Blocking By Service Providers
Verizon offers a custom app (application) for its customers’ mobile devices that lets them block calls, similar to many other carriers. The “Call Filter” app of The call blocking options offered by Verizon are numerous. They have the ability to flag numbers as problematic, the option to manually block specific numbers, and alerts that let you know when a call might be spam.
The main rival of Verizon, AT&T, also offers a call-blocking app for customers’ mobile phones. Incoming calls from those most likely to be fraudsters are intercepted and blocked by AT&T’s “Call Protect”. You are given the option to quickly block unwanted calls when you receive a warning that an incoming call may be spam.
The Takeaway
The person on the other end of a restricted call won’t always be a scammer or a bill collector, but picking up the phone when someone is trying to conceal their identity is like opening your front door to a disguised visitor. Although it might not turn out badly, it is unlikely to be advantageous.
If someone calls during a time when calls are not allowed, it is best to let them leave a voicemail. If restricted callers do not leave a message outlining the reason for their call and how to contact them, the call is probably from a scammer or automated system.
There are many valid justifications for wanting to place a restricted call. Instead of just dealing with it or changing your number, there are a few things you can do if you frequently receive calls from a restricted number.
Although your phone provider may provide the option to block these calls, using an app is probably the most effective way to do so. You can avoid the stress and annoyance of a ringing phone by using these call-blocking apps, which typically cost just a few dollars per month.