Telemarketers have been a thorn in the side of humankind for decades. And while technology offers more options for blocking unwanted calls, it also makes spammers more agile than ever before. Here’s what to do when you get a spam call or text message, and how to avoid them.

If you haven’t noticed, scammers have gotten smart. These days, many use computers to “spoof” the number they appear to be calling from, meaning they can call from thousands upon thousands of different numbers to mask their identity. Often, they’ll use numbers with the same first six digits as your own number, in order to look like someone in your neighborhood. That makes them notoriously hard to block, but there are some things you can try.