T-Mobile's app for protection against robocalls has successfully blocked 41.5 billion scam calls in 2022

There's nothing more annoying than a spam call, or a random call by a robot, to distract you from enjoying your time with family and friends during a national holiday or finishing an important task at work. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is cracking down on robocalls and spam. And T-Mobile is now boasting about its own contribution to fighting this annoyance, reports CNET. The carrier has reported its Scam Shield app managed to block 41.5 billion scam calls last year.

T-Mobile's Scam Shield has managed to block a staggering 41.5 billion scam calls in 2022

The Scam Shield app was introduced back in 2020 with an aim to stop robocalls or scam calls to T-Mobile customers. According to the carrier's year-end report, it seems that roughly 3.5 billion spammy calls were blocked from reaching its customers each month.

T-Mobile underlines that advancements in tech are making it easier for scammers and malicious users to get access to a lot of phone numbers at a time and make scam calls. Also, there seems to be a 75% increase in call attempts during 2022 (when compared to 2021).

Surges in such calls have been determined to occur during weekdays or weeks leading up to holidays. Also, surges have been observed during seasonal periods such as back to school, open enrollment, or tax time.

T-Mobile's app has a "Scam Likely" warning for customers, and can even block suspect calls. On top of all of that, the app is free and it gets updated every six minutes!

According to FCC data, Americans receive around 4 billion scam calls per month. The Commission has also been trying to fight the phenomenon by issuing fines or cease-and-desist orders. It's also shut down networks of offenders.

Additionally, the FCC requires wireless carriers to provide called ID authentication. Also, it's pushed carriers to adopt its STIR/Shaken protocol, which is a protocol to fight against spoofing - and it applies to domestic and international calls. T-Mobile and Verizon, as well as other carriers, have complied with the measure.