Hey @MoeDastranj,
Welcome to the community. 
We moved your post to this thread as you'll find answers to your questions regarding those pesky spam calls here!
Hello,
Welcome to the community!
I can understand the frustration. I think everyone is rather fed up about getting SPAM and SCAM calls from spoofed numbers. Unfortunately, there currently isn't much that any of the mobile providers can do to prevent them. Since the spammers/scammers use spoofed numbers, it is not possible to identify the true spammers' number. The numbers shown on caller ID do not belong to the spammers. They often belong to innocent, unsuspecting people. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done to prevent numbers from being spoofed. In some instances, the spammers/scammers will use the recipients' own phone numbers to make the calls. Even the RCMP are not immune to being spoofed (see here).
The mobile providers have implemented Universal Call Blocking which is meant to block calls from malformed phone numbers. That said, I'm doubtful whether it will have much of an effect on the amount of SPAM or SCAM calls since many of them appear to have properly formed phone numbers. In addition, a new technology, STIR/SHAKEN (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using Tokens) is being adopted to further reduce the amount of nuisance calls (see here). However, I have my doubts as to whether those measures will reduce the amount of SPAM calls. My understanding is the STIR/SHAKEN will only identify possible SPAM calls and mark the calls as suspected SPAM.
I understand the CRTC might have told you that the ability to block, however, the problem is broader than merely solely a Canadian issue (see here). The new STIR/SHAKEN measures relies on tokens from the callers' providers as well as the recipients' providers properly receiving them. Both caller and recipient providers need to have the measures implemented.
Unfortunately, until the technology to unmask the true number of spammers/scammers is readily available (not simply the number shown on the caller ID), the only solution currently is to block the numbers on your phone.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello DGD1,
Welcome to the community!
Firstly, what type of voicemail do you have? Is it the Basic Voicemail or the Premium Voicemail-to-text?
As FidoSaad mentioned below, incoming SMS are not charged and would not incur roaming fees. However, any data contained within a MMS (incoming or outgoing) would be considered roaming data and considered chargeable. If you have the Basic Voicemail, receiving those notifications would not incur roaming fees. However, if you have the Premium Voicemail-to-text, receiving the entire message would incur roaming fees. To prevent the fees, you might consider disabling any automatic download options in your text message settings. You would then receive a SMS notification (no charge) with the option to download the contents. You should note that, with the exception of Wifi-calling, SMS/MMS do not generally transmit via Wifi so attempting to download the contents while connected to Wifi would still go through the networks and be considered roaming data.
If your phone is supported for Wifi-calling, some Wifi-calling usage is considered roaming.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hey there @DGD1,
Incoming SMS are actually free. You won't be billed anything for receiving a text message. However, calling your voicemail will.
As a side note, we also send you SMS notifications when you roam. These automatic messages are simply a welcome message to inform you of the applicable charges at your current destination. It does not mean that you've been billed
To clarify, on our end, we will only charge you if there is usage made while roaming using your Fido SIM card. That is the only way we can track a communication to your device. Billed usage are calls (incoming and outgoing), sent texts (incoming are free), and mobile data.
Hope this helps, cheers!
Hey @Tingt
We understand spam calls are annoying and are working with our industry partners on this issue. Since this is affecting all providers, changing your number or your provider wouldn't help. However, depending on the phone you're using, you might be able to restrict calls to people who are in your contact list. I'd suggest checking with the manufacturer if that's a feature that your phone offers.
Hey @Tingt
If you ever need to receive a call from a number you've blocked, you can always unblock it!
