The short answer
A landline has none of the spam apps a smartphone has, and it is often the phone an older parent answers every time. A few free steps cut down the noise. Stopping scammers takes something that checks each caller before the phone rings.
Why landlines get so many scam calls
Many landline numbers have belonged to the same household for decades and sat in printed phone books, so they are on every old calling list that gets sold and reused. A basic home phone has no spam filter, and many show no caller ID at all. And scammers know who still picks up the home phone: retirees, at home during the day, who were raised to answer it politely.
The calls that cost families the most come from live callers with a story: the grandchild in jail, the bank’s fraud department, Medicare, a utility about to cut the power. A filter that only stops robots leaves those through.
Free codes from the phone company
Most landline companies offer these features. Dial the code from the landline and listen for the confirmation.
| Feature | Code | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous Call Rejection | *77 on, *87 off | Turns away callers who hid their number. They hear a message asking them to unhide it and call again. |
| Call Block | *60 on, *80 off | Blocks numbers you add to a short list. On many lines, #01# adds the last caller. |
Both help, and both have limits. Anonymous Call Rejection does nothing about scammers who show a number, and most do, often a fake local one. Call Block holds only a short list, often 10 or 12 numbers, and scammers change numbers every day. Not every phone company offers Call Block, and some charge for it. Rotary phones use 1177 and 1187 instead of *77 and *87.
Spam labels on a home phone
Some home phone services mark suspected spam in the caller ID. Verizon home phones put SPAM? in front of the caller’s name, and AT&T’s digital home phone shows Suspected Spam. A label only helps if the phone has a caller ID screen and your parent reads it before answering. Spoofed numbers the network hasn’t flagged yet show no label at all. The mobile versions of these labels are covered in Scam Likely calls.
Nomorobo on a landline
For years Nomorobo was the free answer for landlines. That ended on January 1, 2026. Nomorobo’s landline service is now a subscription of $39.99 a year per line, sold directly by Nomorobo.
It only works on digital voice lines, the home phone service that comes from a cable or internet company. It does not work on traditional copper phone lines. It uses a feature called Simultaneous Ring: each call rings Nomorobo at the same moment as your phone, and Nomorobo hangs up on numbers it knows to be robocallers, usually after one ring. A new number, or a live scammer on a clean number, still gets through.
Phones and boxes that block calls
Some cordless phones screen callers themselves. Panasonic’s Smart Call Block, for example, asks callers who aren’t in the phone book to press a key before the phone rings, and some models ask them to say their name instead. Most robocalls can’t press the key, so they never ring. Family and friends saved in the phone book ring as usual.
There are also blocker boxes that sit between the phone line and an existing phone. Panasonic’s KX-TGA710B is one: it comes with about 14,000 known robocall numbers, holds 2,000 more of your own, has a red button to block the caller you are on with, and announces who is calling out loud. Panasonic lists it at $109.99, though some stores show it as discontinued.
What the Do Not Call Registry does and doesn't do
Register at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to register. It is free and the registration never expires. Companies that follow the law must stop sales calls within 31 days.
These callers are still allowed to call a registered number:
- Political campaigns.
- Charities.
- Surveys and polls.
- Companies your parent has done business with in the last 18 months, or asked about in the last 3 months.
- Anyone your parent gave written permission to call.
Scammers ignore the registry completely. It is still worth doing, because it clears out legal sales calls, and after that almost any sales call that gets through is a red flag. Report the ones that do at donotcall.gov.
What each option stops
| Option | Cost | Stops | Lets through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do Not Call Registry | Free | Legal sales calls | Every scammer |
*77 Anonymous Call Rejection | Usually free | Hidden numbers | Scammers who show a number |
*60 Call Block | Varies | A short list of numbers | Every new number |
| Nomorobo | $39.99 a year | Known robocallers, on digital voice lines | New numbers, live scammers |
| Press-a-key phones | Price of the phone | Most robocalls | Live scammers |
| PhoneShield | $29.99 a month | Labeled scam calls, known scam numbers, scam pitches at the front desk | Family, contacts, and callers with a real reason |
PhoneShield on a landline
PhoneShield answers the calls for your parent, so nobody has to judge a stranger on the spot. You forward the landline to PhoneShield, usually by dialing *72 and the PhoneShield number from the landline (*73 turns it off). The steps for each phone company are in setting up call forwarding.
- Calls the network labels as spam, and numbers on PhoneShield’s shared scam list or with repeated FTC complaints, are refused before anything rings.
- Favorites ring through in every mode; saved contacts ring through except in Do not disturb, where they leave a message.
- Everyone else meets the front desk, which asks who they are and why they are calling. Scam pitches are turned away. Real callers reach Nora, PhoneShield’s live assistant, or ring through, depending on how the family set up the line.
- The family sees every call and why it was handled the way it was.
No screening catches every scam, but it takes the first decision off your parent. PhoneShield is $29.99 a month or $299 a year. See how a call is handled, or start with your parent’s line.
Questions people ask
How do I stop scam calls on my parents' landline?
Start with the free steps: put the number on the Do Not Call Registry and dial *77 to turn away hidden numbers. Then add a filter that checks every caller: a cordless phone that asks unknown callers to press a key or say their name, a service like Nomorobo if the line is a digital voice line, or a screening service like PhoneShield that answers for them.
Does the Do Not Call Registry stop scam calls?
No. It stops sales calls from companies that follow the law, within about 31 days. Scammers ignore it. Political calls, charities, surveys and companies your parent already does business with are allowed to call anyway.
Is Nomorobo still free for landlines?
No. Nomorobo's free landline service ended on January 1, 2026. It now costs $39.99 a year per line, and it only works on digital voice lines from cable and internet companies, not on traditional copper phone lines.
Does *77 stop robocalls?
Only the ones that hide their number. *77 turns on Anonymous Call Rejection, which turns away callers showing Private or No Caller ID. Most robocalls show a number, often a fake local one, so they still ring.
Can PhoneShield screen a landline?
Yes. The landline forwards its calls to PhoneShield, usually by dialing *72 and the PhoneShield number. Scammers are turned away. Calls that pass ring the PhoneShield app on an iPhone or a second number you choose, such as your parent's cell phone, because a forwarded landline cannot ring for them itself.
Which home phone blocks scam calls best for an older parent?
Look for a cordless phone that makes unknown callers press a key or say their name before it rings, and that lets callers in the phone book through. That stops most robocalls without your parent having to judge each call. It does not stop a live scammer who presses the key.