Call Blocking *67 and *60: What These Codes Actually Do for Seniors

If you've searched for "call blocking 67" on behalf of an elderly parent, you've probably come across conflicting information — some sources say *67 blocks calls, others say it's for hiding your number when you call out. Both are partially right, and the distinction matters if you're trying to protect a parent from scam calls.

This post explains exactly what *67 and *60 do, what they don't do, and how to layer them with modern tools for real protection.

What *67 Does (and What It Doesn't)

*67 is a call-out code, not a call-blocking feature. When your parent dials *67 before a phone number — for example, *67-555-123-4567 — their phone number shows up as "Private" or "Blocked" on the recipient's screen. The call still goes through; it just appears anonymous.

Why this matters for scam protection: *67 is not useful for stopping incoming scam calls. It only hides your number when you call someone else. Scammers don't stop calling just because they can't see your parent's caller ID on a return call.

What *67 is genuinely useful for: if a parent has accidentally given their number to a suspicious caller and wants to follow up anonymously (for example, calling back to see who picks up), *67 prevents their real number from being captured again.

What *60 Does (and Its Limitations)

*60 is a landline feature called Call Rejection, available through most traditional phone carriers. When your parent dials *60 after receiving a nuisance call, the carrier adds the last incoming number to a personal block list. Future calls from that number receive a recorded message saying "the person you are calling is not accepting calls."

This sounds useful, but there are critical limitations:

It only blocks numbers you've already received. You have to be targeted first. Scammers who use a new spoofed number each time — which most professional fraud operations do — will not be blocked by *60.

It's a landline-era feature. *60 typically works on traditional copper-line and VoIP home phones through carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Frontier, and Spectrum Voice. It does not exist as a feature on cell phones. On mobile, you use in-phone blocking instead.

The block list has a size limit. Most carriers cap it at 25-30 numbers. A determined scammer operation will exhaust that list within weeks.

To activate *60 blocking on a landline:

1. After receiving a scam call, immediately pick up the phone and dial *60
2. Follow the voice prompts — usually press 3 to add the last number called
3. The carrier adds that number to the block list

To hear and manage your *60 block list: dial *60 again and follow the menu.

To turn off *60 entirely: dial #60.

The Bigger Problem: Spoofed Numbers

Here is why *60 only goes so far: the vast majority of scam calls today use caller ID spoofing. The number that appears on your parent's phone is not the actual number the call originates from. A scammer based overseas may show up as a local area code, a government agency number, or even a number that belongs to your parent's real bank.

This means that even if you block the spoofed number via *60 or your phone's built-in block list, the same criminal organization will call again tomorrow from a completely different spoofed number. You are blocking phantom numbers.

The STIR/SHAKEN caller ID verification protocol — which the FCC mandated carriers implement — helps identify unverified calls, but it is not yet universally deployed and sophisticated operations have workarounds.

What Actually Works: Layered Call Protection

Because individual number blocking is a losing game against spoofing, the most effective approach for elderly parents combines several layers:

Layer 1: Silence Unknown Callers at the Device Level

iPhone (iOS 13 and later):

• Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers > toggle ON
• Any number not in your parent's Contacts, recent calls, or Siri Suggestions goes straight to voicemail without ringing
• This is the single most impactful setting you can enable on an iPhone

Android (Google Pixel):

• Open Phone app > three-dot menu > Settings > Spam and Call Screen > Call Screen > set to Automatically screen
• Google Assistant screens unknown calls in real time; your parent sees a transcript and decides whether to pick up

Samsung Android:

• Open Phone app > Settings > Caller ID and spam protection > toggle Caller ID and spam protection ON

Layer 2: A Dedicated Call Blocking App

For landlines and additional mobile protection:

• Nomorobo ($1.99/month): Maintains a database of known robocall numbers and intercepts them before the phone rings. Particularly effective for VOIP landlines because the carrier can integrate it at the line level.
• RoboKiller: Answers unknown calls with an AI "answer bot" that wastes scammers' time while you watch the transcript.
• Hiya: Free version provides caller ID and spam labeling; premium adds proactive blocking.

Layer 3: The Do Not Call Registry (with Realistic Expectations)

Register your parent's number at donotcall.gov (US) or the equivalent national registry. This reduces legitimate telemarketing but does nothing against criminal scam operations, which operate outside the law and ignore registry restrictions. Think of it as reducing the noise so that genuinely suspicious calls are easier to identify.

Layer 4: Carrier-Level Blocking Services

Most major US carriers now offer free scam call tools:

• AT&T ActiveArmor: Automatic fraud call blocking, free for postpaid customers
• T-Mobile Scam Shield: Free app with Scam ID and optional Scam Block ($4/month)
• Verizon Call Filter: Free with basic filtering; premium ($2.99/month) adds more features

Call your parent's carrier and ask what free call protection is available. These work at the network level, catching spoofed calls that device-level blocking misses.

The Family Code Word: Your Last Line of Defense

Technical tools can stop most scam calls from reaching your parent. But scammers are resourceful — some will still get through, and increasingly they use AI-cloned voices that sound exactly like family members.

Establish a family code word that every family member knows. The rule: if anyone calls claiming to be a family member in an emergency, they must say the code word. If they can't produce it, hang up and call the family member's known number directly.

This single behavioral safeguard defeats the grandparent scam and AI voice cloning, no matter how convincing the call sounds.

What *67 and *60 Are Good For: A Summary

The phone code tricks from an earlier era of landlines are now just small pieces of a larger puzzle. They cost nothing to set up and are worth doing — but they should not be your only protection.

If you want a step-by-step system for protecting your parent across phone calls, online accounts, email, banking, and legal safeguards — not just call blocking — the Elder Scam Shield guide covers all of it with ready-to-use scripts for talking to your parent and checklists for each layer of defense.