"Scam Likely" on line two. You ignore it. Line three is a paying customer who got the same tag last Tuesday and left a one-star review because nobody answered. Blocking without a whitelist trades broker spam for angry regulars.
Today: what the FCC says your phone company can already block, how to turn it on, and a five-minute whitelist so customers still reach you.
New here? Script, written stop, call log, filing map, and more: https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/stop-the-calls
General information, not legal advice.
What carriers are allowed to block
The FCC says phone companies may proactively block calls tied to suspicious patterns, and many also let you enroll in extra blocking or labeling (tags like "spam" or "scam likely" on caller ID). Source: https://www.fcc.gov/call-blocking
Under FCC rules, providers may block without asking you first when the call comes from an unassigned, unallocated, or invalid number, or a Do Not Originate list number. They may also block calls flagged from call-data analysis, but you must be able to opt out if you worry about missing wanted calls. Same page.
Separately, the FCC has allowed companies to block numbers that are not on a customer's contact list or whitelist when the customer opts in. Source: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts
None of this puts a business line on the National Do Not Call Registry. That list is for personal numbers. Business lines aren't covered. You can still report what you get.
The tactic: protect, then whitelist
Do this once. Revisit when a real contact stops ringing.
Step 1: ask your carrier what is already on. Call or chat: "Show me every call-blocking and spam-labeling tool on this line, what is on by default, and how I opt out if a real customer gets blocked." Per-carrier links: https://www.fcc.gov/call-blocking. The FCC does not endorse products; use the page as a map.
Step 2: turn on one device-level screen. On many iPhones that is Silence Unknown Callers. On many Google Pixels that is Call Screen. The FCC lists those on the same page. Unknown numbers go quiet or get screened; saved contacts still ring.
Step 3: build the whitelist before lunch. Open Contacts. Add numbers that must always get through: top customers, landlord, accountant, key vendors, your other phones. If your carrier app has contacts-only mode, turn it on only after those are saved. That is the opt-in whitelist path the FCC describes.
Step 4: give VIP callers a back door. Add one line to voicemail and your email signature: "If I miss you, text your name and callback number," or point them to a booking link. Blocking cuts volume. The back door catches the customer whose office uses a rotating outbound trunk that looks like spam.
Step 5: log false positives. When a wanted call gets labeled or dropped, write the number, date, which tool caught it, and what you changed. Part 3 log: https://mcafax.com/notebook/toolkit/call-log-template
If a broker still gets through, use the Part 1 stop script, then file with the Part 12 map (DoNotCall.gov, ReportFraud.FTC.gov, or the FCC complaint center).
Junk texts: send to 7726
Most mobile carriers let you send spam texts to 7726 (SPAM). Confirm with your provider. Source: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts
If the text names an opt-out word or link, use that method too, and note it in the log. On Oct 1, 2026 the FCC released FCC 26-67, which lets senders designate an exclusive opt-out method; it takes effect 30 days after Federal Register publication, which had not happened as of Oct 15, 2026. Habit until then: use whatever they name, keep a copy, keep reporting.
Your checklist
- Ask your carrier what blocking is already on.
- Save VIP contacts. Then enable contacts-only, Silence Unknown, or Call Screen if you want that layer.
- Add the voicemail or email back door for real callers.
- Send junk texts to 7726 when your carrier supports it.
- Starting from zero? https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/stop-the-calls
More: https://mcafax.com/notebook/series/know-your-rights and https://mcafax.com/notebook/stop-mca-broker-calls
Coming in Part 14: when a "local" number is not local at all, and how to log spoofed caller ID without chasing ghosts.