Blocked numbers are able to leave messages.

[Me]

I have a number blocked. When the number calls it shows on my phone as a recent call. The phone does not ring but they can and do leave a message.  How is this possible? And how do I  prevent this from happening.  I have blocked 2 other numbers that this person has called from and they cannot leave a message using those 2 numbers.

[VirginPlusAntonie · Accepted solution]

Hi @Me,

Thanks for your post,

Some devices will allow you to reject any calls and messages from a specific caller and some devices will only reject the call and allow messages to go thru. To verify, you will need to go in your call settings and verify the limitations you've set for the number.

For Android: Press on the phone icon <  Touch the menu icon <  Touch settings  < Touch Block/Blocked numbers < You will see the numbers that are blocked.

For Apple: Touch settings < Scroll to and touch Phone < Touch Call blocking & Identification < Touch Block contact ... < Touch the desired contact < The contact has been added to the blocked list. (To block a number in your call list, touch the information icon and then block this caller.) 

To find your devices user guide click here

Let the Community know if you have more questions.

[mayyah]

Hi, I have blocked a spam caller but I keep getting notified of voicemails from them. I would like to stop them from having the ability to leave a voicemail.

[OmegaLSA]

Oh my god same. So annoying what a horrible feature. In what world would we want to cut communication from someone just for them to be able to leave voicemails and totally bypass the block system. Why is there no simple solution to this seems like a horrible design?! Love my 3 voicemail slots being filled by spam callers every single day.    /endsarcasm

[Glauber]

I want to block a spam number that keeps filling my mail box, +1866*******

[MosEisley]

Thx for the response, but that still doesn't solve the problem. Why should anybody be able to leave a message if you've blocked them. Seriously.

[xwordguy]

This is nonsense. A solution is required. I have a nutcase caller who is blocked but still fills up my voice mail inbox every day. I'm currently looking for employment and am missing calls from prospective employers. This needs to be fixed, otherwise I'll have to move to a company that blocks messages,

[Rockstar83]

It is totally unacceptable that Virgin Plus allows blocked callers to leave voicemails as there is someone harassing my elderly father on his account. Your clients have repeatedly asked you to do something about this and you do not comply.

[VirginPlusAlexander · Accepted solution]

While we can understand the point of concern, please also understand there are limitations of call blocking from both a technical and legal standpoint.

Regulatory restrictions for network-level call blocking
Carriers like Virgin Plus must follow telecom regulations requiring what’s known as “reasonable call completion.”  A carrier cannot legally block categories of calls; like unknown numbers, international numbers etc. without a verified basis.

Network-level systems can’t always tell if the call is legitimate and false positives are high-risk. Many scam calls use spoofed numbers and caller IDs from medical and emergency services, banks and financial corporations etc. and therefore network-level call blocking can inadvertently block important or life saving calls from getting through. At Virgin Plus, through AI-powered analytics, our suspicious call detection feature can protect from undesirable calls and give you peace of mind when answering an unknown phone call.

When you receive a call from a suspicious and unknown phone number, your device may display a warning label to help you decide to answer or not.

You may see:

• Likely Fraud – calls deemed highly suspicious and fraudulent.
• Possible Spam – calls that appear suspicious but are more likely to be categorized as unsolicited.

Exercise caution when answering calls with these labels.  Suspicious call detection is a self-evolving analytical engine, and the accuracy will continue to improve over time.

Network-level call blocking happens before the call ever reaches the user’s phone.

The carrier inspects call metadata:

• STIR/SHAKEN attestation
• Traffic patterns
• Suspicious call detection from known fraud databases
• Suspicious call detection from number reputation scores

Calls flagged as high-risk may be:

• Blocked automatically
• Labeled as “Likely Fraud” or “Possible Fraud” by suspicious call detection.
• Sent directly to voicemail with no ring.

Strengths

• Stops bad calls earlier—they never hit the device.
• Better protection against high-volume robocall campaigns.
• Mandatory regulatory components (e.g., STIR/SHAKEN Bell/VP spam call).

Limitations

• Carriers legally cannot block everything: They must avoid false positives for banks, hospitals, government agencies, etc.
• Spoofing makes it hard: Attackers constantly rotate numbers and often spoof legitimate ones.
• Carrier systems are rule-based, not personalized: A carrier cannot know what you personally want blocked (e.g., local contractors, unknown numbers).

Device call blocking can be personalized and specific
Carriers cannot maintain a personalized call blocking list per individual customer and block calls at scale. But your personal device can, and in this way call blocking is a shared role between the carrier and the device owner.  Each does something different in capacity, and neither can fully replace the other.

Device-level blocking happens on the phone itself (iOS, Android, third‑party apps).

The phone examines the incoming number after the call reaches the device. If the number matches a block list, ID rule or spam filter on the device, the device will:

• Silence the call
• Send it to voicemail
• Block it from ringing

Strengths

• Highly customizable: users can block specific numbers.
• Real-time updates: apps can use crowdsourced data to identify new scam numbers rapidly.
• Works even if the number appears legitimate (e.g., spoofed local numbers).

Limitations

The call still reaches the device—meaning:

• It can appear briefly before being silenced.
• It can reach the users voicemail and/or call forwarding settings.