Call fake scam is pretty bad, but the spoofing of the environment is worse – everything can be too tempting to answer when you see a number similar to yourself. Verizon (currently the Engadget parent company) may have a solution. It updates a free call filter application with “Environmental Filter” that blocks calls from numbers that share your area code and prefix. Scammers who try to reach you will go directly to Voicemail.

You can specify other environmental numbers if you know fraud artists use it, provided you pay $ 3 per month for plus a call filter. And yes, you can make an exception. Any number in your contact list or the allowed number will still go through, and you can fix unintentional blocks by telling the application to ignore the filter for future calls.

Updated applications are now available for Android and iOS. Environmental filtering is not the most sophisticated defense against scam calls, but it can be expanded. This type of spamming is often, to the point where you might get a lot of calls per day. Simple filters can cause far less disturbances, not to mention greater trust in incoming calls.

Verizon has an Engadget parent company, Verizon Media. Rest assured, Verizon has no control over our coverage. Engadget remains independent independently.