Abstract: An answering machine for selectively screening incoming telephone calls whereby unwanted calls are blocked or diverted to a voice mail record. Circuits are provided for an internal memory which stores a plurality of individual codes wherein each code is assigned to a particular person from whom telephone messages are welcome. Additional circuitry is used for receipt of the personal code which is forwarded to a comparator circuit for comparison with the individual code in the internal memory so that when a match occurs, a signal is produced and sent to a ringer circuit or if no answer, a message can be sent to voice mail for recording. Also, a circuit connects the comparator circuit to the voice mail in the event an unaccepted code is received whereby a lack of matching permits the message to be introduced to the voice mail record.