AT&T to start automatically blocking fraud calls

Good news, AT&T customers: The carrier on Tuesday announced plans to start automatically blocking fraud calls for free.

The move comes after the FCC last month voted to let carriers block robocalls by default. AT&T is now the first of the big four U.S. carriers to commit to do that.

"The Commission's recent action builds on a years-long effort to enable broader adoption of call-blocking tools and allow providers to better protect their customers and networks," AT&T Communications Executive Vice President of Regulatory and State External Affairs Joan Marsh said in a statement. "AT&T remains committed to working with our government and industry partners in the ongoing battle against unwanted and illegal robocalls."

AT&T says it plans to automatically add its Call Protect service to existing customers' lines "over the coming months." New lines will also come with the anti-robocall service, which blocks known spam calls and displays an alert for suspected ones.

The company said it will notify customers via text once it has added the service to their line. If you don't want to wait, you can download the Call Protect app or turn it on via your myAT&T account settings.

T-Mobile, meanwhile, has been automatically flagging known scam calls for its users since 2017, but subscribers have to opt into its Scam Block service. Verizon in March introduced a free version of its Call Filter spam detection and blocking service, but users must enable it manually. Sprint charges $2.99 a month for a Premium Caller ID service with similar features.

"AT&T has been working hard to reduce unwanted robocalls," the company wrote in its news release. "We will continue the fight through call authentication – verifying that callers are not faking their phone numbers – and many other tools. Look for more details and announcements in coming months."