T-Mobile’s Next Big Uncarrier Move is Scam Shield

T-Mobile has been hyping its next Uncarrier announcement for a few weeks now, and this morning, the details were made public. The entirety of this Uncarrier move has to do with spam and robocalls. Obviously, they suck, so T-Mobile is ready to squash them on its network and help protect its customers.

Scam Shield is a combination of multiple things, not just for T-Mobile customers, but Sprint and Metro customers, too. Here’s what the list includes.

• Free Scam ID and Blocking. Suspicious calls are flagged, and customers can turn on scam blocking to never see those calls again.
• Free, Enhanced Caller ID. If T-Mobile knows who’s calling, you’ll know who is calling. And with new improvements, you’ll know when the number is verified as coming from a real person or business.
• Free Second Number. Introducing T-Mobile PROXY, a second number to keep your personal number personal.
• Free Number Change. If your personal number becomes a spam magnet, get a clean slate with a new number.
• Free Scam Shield App. The central spot to activate these new protections and, for an extra charge, unlock more advanced call controls. Sprint customers now get free protections — previously an added charge — in the upgraded Call Screener app.
• Free Be ID Aware Service. Get ID monitoring and alerts for 12 months from the experts at McAfee, available for a limited time.

As mentioned above, there is a new Scam Shield app for iOS and Android devices, available starting on July 24. However, to turn on Scam Block right now, T-Mobile postpaid and Metro customers can, “simply dial #662# to tell T-Mobile’s network to stop robocalls before they ever reach your phone.”

Not highlighted above, Scam Shield has a Premium tier, available for $4/month. Scam Shield Premium gives customers more control, allowing you to send entire categories of unwanted robocalls directly to voicemail, such as telemarketers. You can create ‘always block’ lists and also get voicemail-to-text for at-a-glance access to your voicemails. T-Mobile says Scam Shield Premium is included at no extra charge for customers with Magenta Plus, but $4/month for everyone else.

If you want to download the aforementioned Be ID Aware service, you can sign up for free between July 24 and August 31 for twelve months at T-Mobile’s promotions website (here) or Metro’s promotions website (here). All you’ll need is your phone number and code 2020McAfee. Sprint customers can request it online here — just select McAfee Identity Protection to register.

Thanks, T-Mobile. Spam calls suck.

// T-Mobile