Halloo Hint: Combat Phone Spam

Call Blocker

Account admins can combat spam by blocking calls from specific phone numbers or prefixes. This feature is located on the side bar “Call Blocker” under the “Extensions” tab in My Halloo. From this screen, admins will be able to add and edit blocked numbers.

Note – phone numbers must be entered in international format, and include the country code. For example, 12125551212, would block calls from 555-1212 in New York City. Omitting the “1″ would mean that the rule would apply to calls from Morocco, which has the country code “+212″.

The Star [*] is allowed at the end of the string to block all calls from a specific prefix. For example “1876*” blocks all calls from Jamaica.

When a call is blocked, the caller will get a busy signal and not show up in the call log. Call blocking applies on an account level and to all direct inward dial lines (DIDs) equally.

Voicemail Feature for Robo Callers

In your voicemail system, you have the option to require callers to “Press 1″ to leave a voice message. If the caller is human, they will follow the instructions and press 1. But, the robo caller will not do so, and the system will hang up on them, hopefully eliminating most of these nuisance messages.

You can access this option under “User Settings” -> “Voicemail”. Select “Caller must press 1 to leave a message” if you would like to enable this feature.

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