Stop the Calls, Part 5: let the screener take call nine

"Hi, this is Jason, calling back about the funding offer you requested."

You didn't request anything. It's the ninth broker call before lunch. But this time you didn't hear it. Your phone never rang. A screener picked up, asked who was calling and why, and you read the answer on your lock screen between customers. One tap, and the call was over.

This is Part 5 of Stop the Calls. Part 1 gave you the script, Part 2 the written stop, Part 3 the call log, and Part 4 the UCC filing behind the list (all in the Stop the Calls series). Today the goal is simpler: stop picking up at all.

General information, not legal advice.

Three layers, from free to full

The FTC calls call blocking and call labeling your best defense against unwanted calls, because scammers don't care whether you're on the Do Not Call Registry. Stack them in this order.

1. Your carrier. Carriers offer spam blocking or labeling, some of it free, and the FCC says they can enroll you automatically. The FCC keeps a list of carrier tools on its call blocking page.
2. Your phone. The FCC notes that iPhones have an opt-in "Silence Unknown Callers" setting and Pixel phones have "Call Screen." Google says Call Screen asks who's calling and why, shows you a live transcript, and can hang up on calls it flags as spam. One of its preset replies asks the caller to remove your number from their list. (Google's Call Screen help)
3. An AI receptionist on the shop line. A virtual receptionist or call-screening service can answer every unknown number on a business line with your greeting and your rules. The FTC's call-blocking guide says internet-based blocking services and apps can stop calls, let them through without ringing, or send them to voicemail. (FTC: How to block unwanted calls)

The greeting to copy

Whatever answers your phone, give it this script:

You've reached [business]. This line doesn't take sales calls about funding, working capital, or cash advances. If that's why you're calling, put this number on your company's do-not-call list and don't call again. Everyone else, say your name, your company, and what this is about.

That's the Part 1 script, spoken for you, on every call.

The rules to give it

1. Contacts and known customers ring straight through.
2. Anyone who says "funding," "approval," "working capital" or "advance" hears the stop line, then the call ends.
3. Before ending, it asks one thing: "What's your company's legal name and a callback number?"
4. Every screened call keeps its transcript, with date, time and caller ID.

Rule 4 is the quiet win. Those transcripts fill most of the six columns in your Part 3 log without you typing a word. The opening line of the pitch is right there, word for word.

Before you turn it on

• Screeners miss things. Google says not every spam call can be detected and Call Screen won't always transcribe a caller correctly. The FTC warns that blocking can also catch calls you want. Save customers and vendors as contacts so they ring through.
• Recording rules vary by state. Federal law allows a call to be recorded when one party consents (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)). Some states require every party to agree. California, for one, requires the consent of all parties to record a confidential call (Cal. Penal Code § 632). If your screener records audio, put a recording notice in the greeting and ask a lawyer about your state.
• Screening doesn't change your rights. The National Do Not Call Registry covers personal numbers, not business lines (FTC Do Not Call FAQs). FCC rules say a caller needs your consent before an autodialed or prerecorded call or text to your wireless number (FCC: Stop unwanted robocalls and texts). Whether the TCPA (47 U.S.C. § 227) covers a call depends on the call and the line.
• Carriers can block some calls on their own. Under FCC rules, providers may block calls from invalid or unassigned numbers without asking you, and may block other calls based on call data as long as you can opt out. (FCC call blocking)

A screened transcript is a record you can use to report calls at DoNotCall.gov or bring to a lawyer. For the bigger map, see Know Your Rights.

This week

1. Turn on your carrier's spam filter today.
2. Turn on your phone's screener for unknown callers.
3. Save every customer and vendor as a contact.
4. Paste the greeting into whatever answers the shop line.
5. Friday, export the transcripts into your call log (free CSV call log template).

Next part: the list itself. How to ask a lead seller where your number came from, and what to say to get it pulled.