Recently, you may have been receiving more calls from unknown numbers. It’s the same for me too. It’s annoying to hear unfamiliar phones ringing on weekday evenings and weekends. Among them, there are spam calls recommending insurance or loans, the most common of which are opinion poll calls. This is because various political parties and candidates are conducting opinion polls ahead of the general election (National Assembly election). Today we will learn how to block poll phone calls.
Opinion poll principles
First, I will briefly explain the principles of public opinion polls.
Since I’m getting a lot of calls for opinion polls, I wonder if my personal information has been leaked somewhere? You might be worried. In the case of public opinion polls conducted in accordance with the Public Official Election Act, there is no need to worry about such things.
This is because public opinion polls are operated using a system called virtual numbers. The poll company makes a call using a randomly generated virtual number, and the telecommunication company matches this virtual number with the real number 1:1 and connects you. This means that my personal information (phone number) has not been leaked.
However, there are surveys conducted by obtaining phone numbers directly from public opinion polling organizations, political parties, or candidates. In the case of these surveys, actual phone numbers are used rather than virtual numbers, so there is a possibility that one’s phone number may have been passed on from somewhere. This is high.
Block poll calls
So, how can you block poll calls?
Since public opinion polls literally survey public opinion and reflect the will of the people, it would be good to respond, but if frequent phone calls stress you out and interfere with your daily life, blocking the calls is also a personal option. It’s a choice.
Each telecommunication company provides a service that blocks poll calls, so it is a good idea to take advantage of this.
KT
We explained earlier that each telecommunication company provides a poll blocking service.
Those using KT can call 080-999-1390.
A request to block public opinion poll calls is made automatically. Well, it’s simple, right?
Opinion poll-phone-blocking
SKT
Next, those using SKT can call 1547.
When the guidance message appears, press 1 and finally enter your date of birth to apply.
It may be a little inconvenient, but once you apply, you won’t be bothered by phone calls for opinion polls, so the brief inconvenience is well worth it.
LG U+
Lastly, if you use LG U+, please call 080-855-0016.
After listening to the guidance message, press 1 to complete your application.
Budget phone user
If you are using a budget phone, you need to find out which carrier line you use.
This is because even budget phones ultimately use the network of one of the three carriers: KT, SKT, and LG U+.
Depending on the network you are using, you can call the number explained above and request to block poll calls.
Requesting to block public opinion poll calls means that telecommunications companies must not provide virtual numbers to organizations conducting public opinion polls.
Therefore, it is not possible to block calls from real numbers rather than calls from virtual number matching.
In this case, it would be best to take action by blocking spam or rejecting the call.
Block spam calls
Lastly, we will teach you how to block spam calls by utilizing the built-in features of your smartphone.
Android: Open the Phone app, press and hold the phone number suspected to be spam, then select ‘Block’ or ‘Report as spam and block’.
iPhone: Open the recent calls list in the Phone app, press the ‘i’ button next to the suspected spam number, and select ‘Block this caller’.
Above, we learned how to block opinion poll calls and how to block spam calls. I hope you can escape from the endlessly ringing phone calls and enjoy a pleasant daily life.