How to Go About Reporting Phone Solicitors
In 2004, the Federal Communications Commission launched the national do-not-call registry. The registry allowed consumers to opt-out of telemarketing calls made by for-profit companies. The registry was an instant success with official figures showing that 77 percent of Americans had registered their numbers on the do-not-call list by 2007. Companies that violate FCC rules, by contacting numbers on the registry, face significant fines. Consumers can report companies that violate these rules directly to the FCC.
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Instructions
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Note the details of the phone call by the soliciting company. This includes the number called, time of the call, nature of the call and identity of the individual and company, if known.
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Go to the official complaint website of the registry, listed in the resources section of this article.
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Review the guidelines on the complaint web page to ensure the call falls into the covered category. Specifically, the phone number in question must have been on the registry for 31 days or more. The second criterion is that charities, political organizations and surveys may continue to call, even if the phone number is on the registry.
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Click "Continue" to initiate the complaint process. The webpage will ask for the phone number, date and time of the call, and whether the call was prerecorded or not. Click "Continue" again to proceed.
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Enter the details about the company that called. The webpage will also ask for your contact information and any additional comments you wish to add. Click "Submit" to send the complaint to the FCC.
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References
Resources
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