If you use 2-factor authentication that sends a text message to your phone to get a code, beware of the port-out scam. This happens when a bad person impersonates you and tricks your phone company into issuing them your phone number. You can prevent this by calling your carrier (dial 611) from your phone and telling them to add a security PIN to your account. Anyone who tries to access your account will be asked for the PIN. Read more about port-out scamming here. — MF

For the past 2 years I’ve been using the free Nomorobo service to stop spam calls on my landlines, and it works fantastically. A few months ago I started using the paid Nomorobo app on my phone, and suddenly all those dumb spam calls have ceased. There are a number of phone spam eliminator apps, but Nomorobo is one that does not scarf up your friends’ phone numbers in order to make its white list. — KK

When I get a call from a fraudster (like a “Microsoft tech support” scammer or an IRS impersonator), I merge their call with the Jolly Roger bot ($12/yr). This is software that has canned voice responses designed to confuse and waste the time of the criminal who calls you. The Jolly Roger website has recordings of some entertaining conversations. — MF

Truecaller is a free, ad-supported smartphone app that blocks telemarketers’ calls. When a call from a spammer comes in, your phone will display a red screen that says “Identified as Spam.” And if a telemarketer slips through, you can easily add the number to Truecaller’s database. — MF