A Guide to Preventing Unwanted Commercial Calls

We've put together this guide to help you understand how your data may have ended up in commercial databases, and more importantly, how you can protect your privacy going forward.

A Note from Omnia

At Omnia, we really care about our customers—but also about all the people we interact with. We are committed to giving everyone the best possible experience at every touchpoint, and we take data privacy very seriously.

If you've received a call from us on your personal number and would prefer not to be contacted, we completely understand.

If you want to delete your data from our records so that we don't call you again, please send an email to hello@useomnia.com and you won't receive any further commercial calls or emails. Promise.

Part 1: How Your Data Gets Into Commercial Databases

Understanding the sources of data leakage is the first step toward protecting your privacy. Here are the most common ways personal phone numbers end up in commercial databases:

Professional Networking Sites

LinkedIn and similar platforms are primary sources for B2B data enrichment. Many data providers scrape publicly available information, including phone numbers if you've made them visible in your profile. Even if your number isn't public, third-party tools can sometimes access it through API integrations or data partnerships.

Business Card Exchange & Event Registrations

When you attend conferences, webinars, or trade shows, your registration information is often shared with sponsors and exhibitors. Scanning your badge at a booth typically means consenting to receive marketing communications from that vendor.

Online Forms and Sign-ups

Downloading whitepapers, requesting demos, or signing up for newsletters often requires providing contact information. Many companies sell or share this data with third parties, particularly if their privacy policy permits it.

Data Brokers and Aggregators

Companies like ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Lusha, and others aggregate data from public records, social media, and purchased datasets to build comprehensive contact databases that businesses use for outreach.

Data Enrichment Tools

Even if you never gave a company your phone number directly, they may still obtain it. Here's how: a company might only have your name, company, and email address (from an event attendee list, for example). They then import this into their CRM and use an "enrichment" tool that automatically adds your phone number from a contact data provider. This happens without any direct interaction with you.

Reusing the Same Number for Work and Personal

If you use the same mobile number for work logins, two-factor authentication, business cards, vendor accounts, and professional communities, it becomes very difficult to keep that number out of B2B databases long-term. The more places your number appears in a professional context, the more likely it is to be picked up and aggregated.

Public Records

Company registrations, domain WHOIS records, professional licenses, and other public filings can contain personal contact information that gets indexed by data providers.

Part 2: Preventing Your Data From Being Collected

Audit Your LinkedIn Privacy Settings

1. Go to Settings & Privacy → Visibility → Profile viewing options
2. Under "Who can see your email address," select "Only visible to me" or "1st-degree connections"
3. Remove your phone number from the Contact Info section entirely, or restrict visibility
4. Disable "Partner programs" in Data Privacy settings to prevent data sharing
5. Consider using a work email rather than personal email on your profile

Use Separate Contact Information for Business

• Consider using a dedicated business phone number (Google Voice, Skype, or a second SIM)
• Create a separate email address for newsletter signups and downloads
• Never use your personal phone number on business registrations or public forms

Be Cautious at Events

• Read the privacy policy before registering for events or webinars
• Opt out of sponsor communications when given the choice
• Avoid scanning your badge at every booth—ask what data will be collected

Protect Domain and Business Registrations

• Enable WHOIS privacy protection for domain registrations
• Use a business address or registered agent for company filings when possible

Part 3: Requesting Removal From Major Data Providers

Under GDPR (in Europe) and various US state privacy laws (CCPA, VCDPA, etc.), you have the right to request deletion of your personal data. Here are the major data providers and how to contact them:

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Template Email for Data Removal Request

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Part 4: Installing Call Blocking Apps

Even after removing your data from databases, you may continue to receive calls for some time. Call blocking apps can help filter out unwanted commercial calls.

For iPhone (iOS)

Built-in: Silence Unknown Callers

1. Open Settings → Phone
2. Scroll down and enable "Silence Unknown Callers"
3. Unknown numbers will go straight to voicemail

Recommended Third-Party Apps

• Truecaller — Free with premium options. Identifies callers and blocks spam. Download from App Store, grant call identification permissions, and enable under Settings → Phone → Call Blocking & Identification.
• Hiya — Free caller ID and spam blocker. Similar setup to Truecaller.
• Nomorobo — Specializes in robocall blocking. Small monthly fee after trial.
• RoboKiller — Uses answer bots to waste spammers' time. Subscription-based.

For Android

Built-in Call Screening (Pixel and Some Android Phones)

1. Open the Phone app
2. Tap the three dots menu → Settings → Caller ID & spam
3. Enable "See caller and spam ID" and "Filter spam calls"

Recommended Third-Party Apps

• Truecaller — Most popular choice with extensive spam database. Download from Play Store and grant necessary permissions for call identification.
• Hiya — Clean interface, good spam detection. Works similarly to Truecaller.
• Should I Answer? — Privacy-focused option that doesn't upload your contacts to servers.
• Call Blocker by Call Control — Community-powered blocking with customizable rules.
• Mr. Number — Simple interface, blocks by number patterns and known spammers.

Privacy Considerations for Call Blocking Apps

Most call blocking apps work by uploading your contact list to their servers to cross-reference with spam databases. If privacy is a concern, consider apps like "Should I Answer?" that keep data local, or use your phone's built-in blocking features which don't share data externally.

Part 5: Additional Protective Measures

Register on Do-Not-Call Lists

• USA: Register at donotcall.gov (takes up to 31 days to take effect)
• UK: Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) at tpsonline.org.uk
• EU: Check your country's national do-not-call registry; GDPR also provides opt-out rights
• Spain: Register with Lista Robinson at listarobinson.es

Report Persistent Violators

If a company continues to call after you've requested removal, you can file complaints with relevant authorities:

• USA: reportfraud.ftc.gov
• UK: ico.org.uk
• EU: edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en

Final Thoughts

Protecting your personal data requires ongoing vigilance. While it may not be possible to remove your information from every database, following these steps will significantly reduce unwanted commercial contact. Remember to periodically check and update your privacy settings, be mindful of where you share your contact information, and use the tools available to block unwanted calls.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by receiving a call on your personal number. At Omnia, we strive to respect everyone's privacy and preferences. We hope this guide helps you take control of your data and reduce unwanted contact in the future.

This guide was prepared by Omnia. If you have any questions or would like to be removed from our contact list, please let us know and we will action your request immediately.