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This blog is intended to be helpful to English-speaking foreign residents in Spain by explaining "How to ... " do certain things. "The DIY Guy" has lived in Spain full time since 2008. A fluent Spanish-speaker he reckons he knows his way round the bureaucracy, the indifference and sometimes downright rudeness of "funcionarios". He's also pretty good with his hands, doing up houses and renovating things.

How to ….. STOP SPAM CALLS in Spain
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 @ 9:21 PM

By The Crazy Guy
 
When I lived in the UK I never received any spam calls, because I was on the TPS, Telephone Preference Service, which put you on a list of people who did not want spam calls. Occasionally, a call slipped through, but as soon as I told the spam caller that I was on the TPS, they hung up immediately. For abusing the TPS, companies could receive a heavy fine.

 

My experience

I have lived in Spain for 16 years and receive spam calls on a daily basis. What really gets me is that when you tell the caller that you don’t react to spam calls, THEY ARGUE WITH YOU! 

What is the matter with these people?

My current android mobile identifies suspicious calls, so I usually don’t answer. I call back and the number is not recognised, proving that I was right not to answer. 

Occasionally, a call identified as suspicious, is not. For example, my doctor’s surgery or my bank. 

It’s really not very impressive. If the UK could whack it 20 years ago, why not Spain?

 

 

 

The current situation

Unsolicited commercial calls without prior consent have been outlawed under the new General Telecommunications Law since June 2023. But some sly callers still manage to get through.


To make matters worse, robot-callers and cybercriminals are also ringing you, using aggressive marketing tactics to swindle you out of personal data or even hard-earned cash.

 

Help is at hand

If you’re “sick to the back teeth” of your phone ringing with annoying and time-consuming spam calls, it’s time to give those nuisance callers the boot. 

By signing up to the Spanish Telephone Preference Service (Lista Robinson), and tweaking some simple settings on your mobile, you can make your number pretty much invisible, making it difficult for telemarketers and fraudsters alike. 

Unfortunately, it’s not foolproof, but it makes it harder for them to ring. Think of it as putting on an invisibility cloak for your phone.

 

 

What to do

Register with the Robinson List (Lista Robinson).

It’s a free telephone preference service in Spain that allows you to opt out of unsolicited marketing calls. Visit the official website www.listarobinson.es and follow the registration steps.

You can also install call-blocking apps that nip unwanted callers in the bud.

For iPhone users: Truecaller and Hiya identify and block spam calls at lightning speed, ensuring you’re not left hanging on hold with scammers. You only need one of these, so take your pick.

For Android users: Truecaller, Hiya, and Mr. Number are all available at the Google Play Store. 

Again, you only need one of these. They all offer strong spam identification and blocking features, helping you keep those unwanted callers at bay. 

The two best options are Truecaller and Hiya, with Mr Number in third place.

 

Built-in protection

If your mobile is the latest model, you might already have the perfect tools to stop those harassing callers without needing extra apps.

On iPhone: Navigate to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. This nifty feature sends calls from unknown numbers straight to voicemail, so you can avoid the disturbance and check messages later at your leisure.

On Android: Many Android devices come with built-in spam protection. Open your Phone app, go to Settings, and look for the spam protection option. Switch it on, and spam callers will “get the boot” automatically.

 

Conclusion

Don’t let spam callers drive you round the bend. Take control of your mobile phone line in Spain and give those unwelcome callers the silent treatment. 

Silence is golden, and now it’s just a tap away.

 

© The Crazy Guy

 

Acknowledgements:

Euro Weekly News
Marc Menendez-Roche
Paul Whitelock
Wikipedia

 

Images:

Firewall

Internet Matters

WSJ

YouTube

 

Tags:

aggressive marketing tactics, android mobile, call-blocking apps, cybercriminals,  Euro Weekly News, fraudsters, General Telecommunications Law, Google Play Store, hard-earned cash, heavy fine, Hiya, invisibility cloak, iPhone, Lista Robinson, Marc Menendez-Roche, Mr. Number, Paul Whitelock, personal data, Robinson List, robot-callers, Silence Unknown Callers, spam calls, spam protection, Spanish Telephone Preference Service, STOP SPAM CALLS, suspicious calls, telemarketers, TPS, Telephone Preference Service, Truecaller,  unsolicited commercial calls, unsolicited marketing calls, Wikipedia, www.listarobinson.es 
 



Like 3




4 Comments


Alan Robinson said:
Sunday, November 24, 2024 @ 8:46 AM

What can you do with a land line?


Alan Robinson said:
Sunday, November 24, 2024 @ 8:47 AM

What can you do with a land line?


PablodeRonda said:
Sunday, November 24, 2024 @ 9:08 AM

Hi, Alan
I don't know for sure, as we haven't had a landline for years. We gave it up as we rarely used it and it was costing us money.
I thought they were a thing of the past.
I imagine La Lista Robinson would also work for a landline. Why not try? And feed back to this thread.
Good luck!
The Crazy Guy


John McLean said:
Sunday, November 24, 2024 @ 10:58 AM

I registered for lista Robinson on my landline a few years ago,no problem


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