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How to Block Spam Calls, SMS and WhatsApp on Indian Networks

If you are being flooded with calls, texts or WhatsApp messages, work through this list in order. The first two steps stop the majority of it.

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Start with DND registration

The National Customer Preference Register is the only mechanism in India that stops promotional communication across every category, for every operator, by a single submission. It is free, it takes about two minutes, and it is the step that people most often skip and most often regret skipping.

Submit through telecomp.in or through your operator's app. You have to select categories explicitly, and selecting all of them is almost always the right choice. Registration takes up to seven days to become effective, so do it before you need it rather than after the flooding starts.

Layer the rest

DND stops registered promotional traffic. It does not stop spoofed calls, does not stop transactional-fraud calls pretending to be a bank, and does not stop a determined attacker using a different operator's series. Those need the per-number controls: your carrier's verified caller screening, Android's built-in call screening, and the WhatsApp privacy settings that keep your number out of scraped databases.

The order matters. DND first, because it removes the largest volume with no ongoing effort. Carrier screening second. Per-number blocking third, for whatever gets through.

When to escalate

If calls continue for more than a few days after DND registration and carrier filtering, treat it as harassment and use the formal route. IT Act section 66D covers repeatedly sending unsolicited messages, calls or voice calls to another person, and section 66E covers violating privacy.

File at cybercrime.gov.in. Attach screenshots showing the timestamped call log or the message thread. Individual complaints are frequently closed without action because there is nothing to act on. A pattern across many complaints from the same series is what moves a case forward, so file yours even if you think yours is too small.

Spam blocking questions

How long does DND registration take to work?
TRAI specifies that the preference takes effect within seven days of registration. Register before you need it, not during an attack.
Does DND stop call bombing?
It stops registered promotional calls entirely. It does not stop a deliberate attack, because an attacker using a bulk gateway is not making a registered promotional call. For deliberate attacks you need the escalation route at cybercrime.gov.in alongside the per-number blocking steps.
Will a bank block my number if I register DND?
No. Service and transactional messages are in a separate consent category and are exempt from promotional restrictions. Your OTP and account alerts continue to arrive.
My carrier app does not have spam filtering. What should I do?
Use Android's built-in call screening under Settings, Phone app, Caller ID and spam. Link a Google account so identified spam numbers are logged automatically, and submit your own numbers as spam when they are.
What is the difference between an unknown number and a spoofed number?
An unknown number is simply not in your contacts. A spoofed number displays a caller ID that belongs to someone else, which is why a bank calling from a private mobile number is a warning sign. Spoofing is illegal under the Telecom Commercial Communications Preference Rules and should be reported.