How to Get on the No-Call List for Solicitors

Registering your number can save you from unwanted sales calls.

Telemarketers have a knack for calling just as you're sitting down to dinner, but thanks to the Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry, you can limit or even eliminate unwanted calls. Registering your phone number is easy, and it puts you in charge of who you allow to call both your landline and cell numbers.

Things You'll Need

• Phone
• Internet connection

Instructions

Register With the National Do Not Call Registry

1. Register your phone numbers online at the Do Not Call Reigstry's website or call toll-free 888-382-1222 (TTY 866-290-4236) from the number you want to register. Registration is free. You can register up to three personal numbers at a time online.

2. If you register online, you will receive an email confirmation for each phone number you register. You must open the email and click on the confirmation link to complete the registration process.

3. You can verify that your phone number has been registered online or by calling. You need to call from the phone number you want to verify.

4. Once you register your phone number, telemarketers have up to 31 days to stop calling you.

5. Your numbers remain on the list until you delete them or until they are disconnected or reassigned to another person. You can delete your number from the registry by calling 888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to delete. It will be removed from the registry within one day.

6. If your number is disconnected and then reconnected, you may need to reregister. Changing calling plans or changing the billing name on the account may also cause your number to become unregistered. You can call the registry or visit the website to verify that your number is registered.

7. If the area code on your phone number changes, you do not need to reregister. The number with the new area code will be registered for you.

8. If your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry and you receive a call from a telemarketer you believe is covered, you can file a complaint on the registry's website or by calling. You must provide the date the company called you, the number that was called and information as to whether the call was a prerecorded message. You can provide your name and address, but they are not required.

Tips & Warnings

• The National Do Not Call Registry is for personal phone numbers only; it does not cover business or fax numbers.

• Not all calls are covered by the National Do Not Call Registry. Calls from political organizations, charities and telephone surveys, as well as calls from businesses with whom you have an existing business relationship, are still allowable. However, you can request that the company or organization place you on its own Do Not Call list, and they are required to honor your request.

• All telemarketers calling U.S. consumers are covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, regardless of where they are calling from.

• The FTC does not allow private companies to register customers for the National Do Not Call Registry. Any web or phone solicitations that offer to register your phone numbers, particularly services that charge a fee, are most likely a scam. Consumers may register directly with the FTC, and registering is always free.

References

• Federal Trade Commission: Q&A: The National Do Not Call Registry

Resources

• National Do Not Call Registry