Consumer Alert: Sort and block these automated calls with the convenience of an app

This consumer alert is about putting you back in control. I’m talking about your cell phone and those annoying robocalls. Now there are free tools that can help you separate the harmful from the useful.

We have had various roboblockers on the market for years. But what about the calls you don’t want to block but want to review on your own time, such as calls from charities or surveys? I spoke with AT&&T technology guru and area sales manager Jason Komenski, who shared a tech tool that puts you in control without having to pick up the phone.

“AT&T has this app; it’s called AT&T Active armor” said Komenski. “It’s a free app. You don’t have to pay anything for it. I wanted to show you here.’

He pulled out his phone and pointed to the app’s features.

“Spam call routing,” he said, pointing to the title. “You have general spam. You have telemarketers. You have account services. There are nonprofits and surveys. You have political calls if you don’t want to deal with them. And then right next to it you have the option to click on it. And it says: do you want to allow and flag it? Do you want to send it straight to voicemail, or do you want to block it all together?

This gives users the option to save messages from organizations that you don’t want to block completely.

“And again, you can do that with text messages, emails and phone calls,” Komenski added. “And often these are the main ways people get your information and end up on your device.”

And don’t worry. Verizon offers similar apps. You can download it for free Call filter app or the My Verizon app. For T-Mobile customers you can use the T-Mobile Scam Shield app. They’re all free and they’ll all help you determine if it’s worth taking that call.