Why Call Blocking and Blocklists Aren’t Enough to Stop Scammers

If you’ve ever felt relieved to see an “Unknown Caller” blocked, only to get another suspicious call the next day, you’re not alone. For years, call blocking and blocklists have been the go-to defenses against phone scams. But here’s the truth: while these tools can help, they don’t solve the entire problem.

Let’s break down why.

A Brief History of Call Blocking

When scam and robocalls started flooding people’s phones in the early 2000s, phone carriers and app developers scrambled for solutions. The simplest fix was to create blocklists which are simple databases of known scam numbers. If a call came in from one of those numbers, it would be blocked automatically.

Later, smartphones added manual call blocking, allowing people to add annoying or suspicious numbers to their own personal blocklists. It felt like progress, and in many ways, it was... but scammers are good at staying one step ahead.

How Call Blocking Actually Works

At its core, call blocking is like putting up a “Do Not Enter” sign on your front door. It works only if the scammer comes back with the same number.

Blocklists depend on identifying repeat offenders. If a scammer keeps using the same phone number, blocking can be effective. But scammers rarely do that. Instead, they:

• Switch numbers constantly using software.

• Spoof numbers to make the call look like it’s from your bank, a local business, or even your own phone.

• Use neighbor spoofing (numbers just a few digits off from yours) to trick you into answering.

  
  

Because of this, call blocking ends up being like a game of whack-a-mole. You block one number, and ten more pop up.

The Gaps in Traditional Systems

The biggest issue with traditional call blocking is that it reacts to known threats. It’s like locking your door after a burglar has already tried the handle.

Here’s what call blocking and blocklists can’t do:

• Catch brand new scam numbers the first time they’re used.

• See through spoofed caller IDs, which disguise the scammer’s true number.

• Warn you about the content of the call itself, whether the person on the line is trying to scam you in real time.

  
  

This leaves a huge gap in protection, especially as scammers get more sophisticated.

What’s Needed Instead

Stopping scams requires more than a static list of “bad” numbers. It takes real-time awareness of what’s happening during the call.

That’s where newer approaches, like the system we’re building at Shield Me, take a different path. Instead of just blocking calls from a list, Shield Me actually analyzes what’s being said once you answer. If the conversation shows signs of fraud including urgent pressure, requests for sensitive information, spoofing tactics, you’ll get a live warning so you can hang up.

In other words, safety isn’t just about who’s calling, but about what’s being said.

The Bottom Line

Call blocking and blocklists are helpful tools, but they’re not enough on their own. Scammers have learned how to slip past them by changing numbers and disguising their caller ID.

Understanding how these systems work (and their limitations) is the first step in staying safe. By looking beyond just the phone number and focusing on the bigger picture, we can finally get ahead of the scammer’s game.

At Shield Me, we believe protecting people means going beyond blocklists. We want to give everyone the confidence to pick up their phone without fear.