Privacy, effectiveness among concerns of robocall-blocking apps, BBB says

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Calgary — If you're one of many Canadians who've considered alternative measures to block robocalls to your smartphone, a consumer agency says you should be aware of the dangers.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says the amount of robocalls have increased over the past several months and that's making people turn to specialized apps that are meant to filter them out of regular communication.

Some of the services are provided by your cell phone company through an additional charge while others are offered by third-party developers. However, no matter their origin, the BBB says the programs themselves are relative simple in nature.

"Call blocking apps are essentially filters. App companies use call data and user reports to identify or predict which calls are illegal or come from scammers. Using this information, most apps give you the option to block flagged callers and anonymous calls from “unknown” callers, prescreen your calls before the phone rings, and receive warnings about numbers that are using fake caller ID information," said Shawna-Kay Thomas, communications specialist with the BBB serving southern Alberta and east Kootenay, in a release.

Whether or not the apps are effective is another matter, as most services won't be able to completely block out the calls. Other features that some apps offer, such as answering calls with nonsensical messages, may actually result in a number getting more scam calls than before.

"Sometimes interacting with robocalls can result in your number being marked as 'live,' which may actually increase the number of calls you receive."

There is also the concern that a blocking app may expose your personal information, especially when it comes to those that require access to your voicemail, Thomas says.

"Not everyone is comfortable with sharing the complete contents of their voicemail inbox."

Meanwhile, other apps automatically send device and user data immediately to third-party companies as soon as the app is downloaded.

If you don't want to download an app but are concerned about the number of robocalls you're receiving, the BBB says there are number of safe, free ways to cut down on them: