T-Mobile's 'Scam Shield' lets you weed out scam calls with a second number
For those who have been inundated by robocalls and other scams – which means anyone with a mobile phone, pretty much – it's hard to imagine them ever going away. Could T-Mobile's "Scam Shield" actually help?
The free service for T-Mobile and Sprint subscribers attacks the problem in a number of ways. There's caller ID that can spot incoming scan calls and block them. No-cost phone number changes once per year, too. But the most unusual wrinkle of all is the ability to create a proxy phone number.
Starting on July 24, subscribers to Magenta or Essentials phone plans will be able to create a second phone number for free while keeping their main number private. So if you're signing up for something on a website, for example, you can provide your proxy number instead of your main one.
Being able to use that second number on your phone won't necessarily shut down robocalls and scams. The second number is still your number, and the calls still come through. But it's an added layer of protection.
If you know the proxy number is only going to get calls from a certain subset of callers, many of whom you'd rather not hear from, it becomes easier to weed those calls out. Right? It remains to be seen how helpful proxy numbers really are, but T-Mobile subscribers can find setup instructions right here.
Different phone service providers have hatched their own solutions for weeding out scams. AT&T has its own automatic fraud call blocker set up. Android also has some similar stuff built in at the system level. There are third-party apps that can do it as well (but that's not a perfect solution). Even the FCC and FTC have been stepping up the fight against robocalls.
And why wouldn't they? Spammy phone calls that are often driven by fraudulent motives are a near-daily scourge in 2020 for anyone who subscribes to a mobile phone plan. Scam Shield may not be a new idea, but maybe proxy numbers will help in a way that other measures haven't so far.
If you're a T-Mobile subscriber who qualifies, get your free secondary phone number on July 24.
UPDATE: July 20, 2020, 3:23 p.m. EDT An earlier version of this story incorrectly noted that Sprint subscribers will also have access to Scam Shield features. That's been fixed. Apologies for the error.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
