YouMail Robocall Blocker—Does It Work?

Robocalls are getting out of hand as they keep plaguing the phones of all Americans. The nasty spam calls first targeted home phones. When most people gave up their landlines, robocallers turned to mobile devices. It seems that there’s no end to the harassment as 65 billion robocalls were made in 2019 alone.

YouMail is one of the companies fighting against robocalls, and they have been quite successful. With their Robocall Index, which provides statistical data regarding all sorts of robocalls in near real-time, YouMail is at the forefront of the ongoing robocall war.

There are many services and apps available on the market, so let’s go through YouMail’s robocall blocking features and find out what makes them stand out.

Stop Robocalls with YouMail

YouMail uses a patented technology that screens all calls that try to get through to you. Each number is checked against a list of 100,000 (and growing every day) of what they call bad numbers.

Bad numbers are the ones used to make robocalls and other spam calls. If the number is on the list, the call will be redirected to YouMail voicemail. The caller will hear a message saying that your number is out of service.

Since robocalls are targeting real people and active numbers, hearing a pre-recorded message will prompt them to discard your phone from the calling list. According to YouMail, blocking robocalls at the source is the most effective way to stop spam because it prevents them from ever calling again.

YouMail Smart Blocking technology that is used for robocall detection should recognize all telemarketers and scammers and put a permanent ban on their calls. The idea is to discourage them from calling because they keep ending up on voicemail that always says the same thing: This number is out of service.

What Are Robocalls?

To better understand how to stop robocalls, you should first get to know them. Robocalls are recorded messages, which means that they are not real telephone conversations. Robocall technology uses automatic dialers to make the calls.

The purpose of robocalls is to deliver messages to a large number of people quickly. What electronic communication channels, like emails or texts, fail to provide is the confirmation that the recipient got the message. With phone calls, the situation is much clearer. If you answer, the caller is sure that the information will be delivered.

The idea is not bad, but the problem lies in the fact that robocalls are not used for just conveying information. They became the tool for harassment and extracting sensitive data.

Are Robocalls Illegal?

Robocalls are not illegal. Many organizations use automated calls for legitimate purposes. It’s a cost-effective way to reach a significant number of people. Some of the common robocalls you may receive are coming from:

1. Charities because robocalls allow them to inform a lot of people about the cause via an affordable yet effective communication tool
2. Schools, campuses, and other educational institutions when they need to announce sudden closures or working hours alterations
3. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which uses robocall as an additional reminder about deadlines for taxes
4. Political campaigns, reaching out to voters to conduct surveys and present their programs

What Is the Purpose of a Robocall Scam?

The purpose of every robocall scam is to:

• Obtain personal data of the victim
• Confirm that the dialed number is active.

In either case, robocall fraudsters are after your money. If you give away financial details, they will most likely be used in illegal or unauthorized transactions. Even if they just want to verify that your number is real, meaning that an actual person uses it, scammers can sell it to other fraudulent businesses for thousands of dollars.

Robocalls scams are pretty successful since $10 billion was lost in 2019 on them. Such huge losses require an immediate reaction from the authorities. Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared war on robocalls.

Their attempts to fight back robocalls would remain futile without the help of all major phone carriers and third-party apps that joined the battle with everything they have. YouMail is one of those third-party apps that offer robocall and spam-call blockers that help put an end to this harassment.

How Does YouMail Robocalls Blocking Service Work?

YouMail is taking advantage of the fact that robocalls target real people and active phone numbers. Your call is directed to YouMail voicemail that informs the caller that the number is disconnected, so it should appear to callers as ineligible for future calls.

Robocall software should remove your number from the calling list if it cannot verify that the recipient of the call is a living person. This means that you won’t be receiving any more calls from that particular caller.

The database of blacklisted callers is getting bigger every day, so YouMail can recognize almost all numbers that are frequently used to make spam calls. YouMail refers to the service as a visual voicemail, which means that all the missed calls you receive get transcribed into written messages that end up in your email

Valid callers will be allowed to leave a voicemail that you can read and check the number that they are coming from. Robocalls are not able to leave a voicemail, so it will be impossible for them to get through to you.

YouMail Robocall Blocker Voicemail

You should be aware that you would have to replace your carrier’s voicemail with YouMail voicemail entirely if you want to enjoy the benefits of Smart Blocking. The company advises that there is no reason for concern and that your voicemail will function flawlessly.

YouMail states two main reasons when explaining why this step is necessary:

1. Robocalls can call your number even when your phone is switched off or you are out of range. Such calls go to voicemail, and YouMail must have access to it to be able to detect and block them
2. Other call-blocking services do not block calls but divert them to voicemail. YouMail blocks and deletes them, and keeps your inbox clean

It seems that YouMail has to have control over your voicemail to work successfully. Although it sounds a bit concerning, the company guarantees that your privacy will not be breached in any way.

YouMail Robocall Blocker—Free and Paid Options

There are a few options that you can choose from if you would like to try YouMail. The basic plan is free, and you can check out if the app works for you by signing up for it. What plan will be suitable for you mostly depends on the type of service you need.

YouMail has various features, and they are not all designed to fight spam. If your primary goal is to get rid of robocalls, then the basic plan should suffice. Robocall blocking is the essential service automatically included in all YouMail packages.

In case you would like to get more out of the voicemail-to-email features, you would require one of the premium plans. It seems that YouMail designed a lot of its services for business clients, but individual users can still get a decent robocall blocker by getting this app.

You can check the prices and features of YouMail plans in the table below.

YouMail Robocall Index

One of the most significant contributions that YouMail made in the war against robocalls is the development of the Robocall Index. It estimates the volume of robocalls per month in the States, based on millions of calls that YouMail clients receive.

Although the numbers are not completely precise, YouMail manages to provide a pretty accurate estimation of how much unwanted and unnecessary calls U.S. citizens actually get. Even the FCC relies on the data extrapolated by YouMail, so the Robocall Index portal is useful when it comes to robocall statistics.

The Index offers the following information:

• You can check how many calls were made during the current month
• You can check which part of the States is most affected by robocalls
• You can check the data regarding the types of robocalls that are being made (spam, telemarketing, alerts, reminders, etc.)
• You can check the top 100 robocallers

How to Sign Up for YouMail Robocall Blocking Services?

You can add YouMail to your existing phone number regardless of the carrier, or you can get a YouMail number. Most people would like to stick to their number and telephone service provider, so in that case, this is the procedure:

1. Visit the YouMail website and choose Sign Up
2. Enter your phone number
3. Enter your carrier and plan although this probably won’t be necessary because YouMail can detect it on most numbers
4. Wait for YouMail to generate your PIN
5. Open the YouMail app to complete the setup
6. Call the numbers that the app asks you to, so you can unlock the Smart Blocking features

Once you finish the setup, you can explore various possibilities that YouMail offers. The navigation is not challenging, and there are additional features that you can activate by accessing Settings. From the moment YouMail is activated, you should be able to enjoy the benefits of its robocall blocker.

Does YouMail Block All Robocalls?

No app or service blocks all robocalls. YouMail is not an exception to that rule. Although it has excellent features, you shouldn’t expect never to receive another robocall again.

If a robocall does get past YouMail call filters and comes down to you, you can add it to the blacklist of bad numbers by tapping on the circle that will appear on your phone screen. This will automatically flag the number as fraudulent.

It’s crucial to realize that the fight against robocalls is ongoing, and it will take some time to stop them for good. While YouMail robocall blocker should stop most spam calls from reaching you, some of them will find a way to get through. Robocallers use various tricks, so it is impossible to block them completely.

Standard M.O. of a robocall scam includes:

• Spoofing numbers—This means that the caller hides their real number and mimics a local or official number to get you to answer the phone
• Changing numbers—Callers change their numbers often, sometimes for each call, so it’s difficult to keep track of them

In the case of legitimate robocalls that are used as reminders and alerts, YouMail does not block the calls. Users will continue to receive such calls, and they won’t be sent to YouMail voicemail.

What Other Apps and Tools Stop Robocalls?

Since robocalls are on the rise, there are various tools and apps you can use to prevent scammers from getting through to you. All carriers designed their robocall blocking services, so you can activate them on your number.

YouMail does not interfere with spam blockers from telephone service providers, though you should remember that you must give up your carrier’s voicemail if you want to use YouMail. As every tool uses different methods to detect and block calls, having additional protection can only lead to fewer robocalls.

Other popular apps that you can install if YouMail proves to be the wrong choice for you are:

• Hiya
• Truecaller
• Nomorobo

Reporting Robocalls

Since it’s impossible to prevent every single robocall, it is crucial to take the time to report the ones that get through. The FCC guide to robocalls explains how important it is to let the authorities know about the spam callers because it helps in tracking them down and bringing them to justice.

You can report robocalls to:

1. FTC Complaint Assistant
2. FCC Complaints
3. Your carrier or robocall-blocking app that you use

Letting YouMail know when a robocall gets through will not only help them block the number, but it will allow the app to update Robocall Index with new numbers that should be avoided.

YouMail Robocall Blocker Review

As far as robocall blocking goes, YouMail is doing a pretty good job. The main downsides are that it works only on cell phones and that you will have to replace your existing voicemail. While the latter is not such an issue, robocalls that you receive on your home phone are not less annoying, and YouMail cannot help with them.

While traditional landlines cannot be protected by web apps anyway, YouMail won’t work on Internet-based home phones either. In case you are struggling with robocalls at home, this app won’t do the trick.

You can check the pros and cons of the YouMail robocall blocker in the table below.

What Can DoNotPay Do to Stop Robocalls?

DoNotPay can do something even better than stopping robocalls. It can help you get revenge on these scammers.

Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), individuals may be entitled to seek $500 for each robocall they receive without their consent, and this amount can potentially be tripled to $1,500 if the court finds the violation to be willful or knowing.

The best part is that the whole procedure is easy and safe. This is what you should do:

1. Log on DoNotPay via your web browser as soon as you receive a robocall
2. Select RoboRevenge
3. Create a free virtual credit card
4. Freely provide the virtual card number to the caller as soon as they ask for it
5. Wait for them to attempt a transaction so that DoNotPay can get a hold of their info
6. Use the instructions that DoNotPay gives you to send a demand letter and make the fraudsters pay

The basis for the lawsuit is that telemarketers, even legitimate ones, are not allowed to contact you if your number is on the National Do Not Call List. In case you are not registered, you shouldn’t worry. DoNotPay will put your number on the List automatically. For further reading on the Do Not Call List, you can check out the following articles:

• Do Not Call Exceptions
• How to Check If a Number Is on the Do Not Call List
• Do Not Call Expiration

The trick of RoboRevenge is in the DoNotPay virtual credit card that allows the app to extract the caller’s data. Although it will seem to the scammers as a real card, it is, in fact, a virtual card number that has no funding source behind it.

What Else Is DoNotPay Good at?

DoNotPay can help you with various administrative issues and matters as your AI Consumer Champion. From issues ranging from paying bills, fighting suspicious parking tickets, and lowering your bills, we can help.

If you are struggling with any of the following, log on DoNotPay through your web browser:

• Getting revenge on other robocalls
• Suing people and companies in small claims court
• Scheduling a DMV appointment fast and easy
• Getting refunds for delayed or canceled flights
• Dealing with issues with credit cards
• Canceling subscriptions or memberships
• Disputing traffic tickets
• Jumping the phone queue when getting in touch with customer service reps
• Fighting speeding tickets
• Contesting parking tickets
• Dealing with bills you are unable to pay for