How to Make Telemarketers Quit Calling

The National Do Not Call Registry has been in effect since June 2003.

The United States Congress established the National Do Not Call Registry in 2003 due to public pressure about unsolicited and harrassing telemarketing calls. The Federal Trade Commission manages the Registry and enforces it along with the Federal Communications Commission and state consumer protection agencies. You can add your personal landline and cellular telephone numbers to the Registry easily. Once added, they will remain on the list permanently unless you remove them. Most calls should cease within 31 days.

Things You'll Need

• Email address

Instructions

Registering Online

1. Visit the National Do Not Call Registry. Click "Register a Phone Number."

2. Enter your area code, telephone number and email address in the spaces provided. Click "Submit."

3. Verify that the information is correct. If it is, click "Register."

4. Go to your email inbox and open the message from donotcall.gov.

5. Click the link in the message to complete your registration. You can print a copy of the confirmation page for your records. If you don't receive the email message in 72 hours, then your number is not registered. You can try online again, or follow the steps to register by telephone.

Telephone Registration

1. Call the Registry at 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number that you wish to register. You will not receive a verification email message.

2. Follow the recorded instructions to register your telephone number.

3. Verify your registration by calling the Registry at 1-888-382-1222. Follow the recorded prompts to verify that your telephone number is registered.

4. Make a note of the date and time that you registered your number, for your records.

Tips & Warnings

• You can delete your telephone number from the Registry by calling 1-888-382-1222. The system will remove your number the next day, but telemarketers might continue calling until they update their records. That must be done within 31 days.

• Calls from or for political organizations or candidates, charities, telephone surveyors and busineses with which you have an established relationship are still permitted under the law. You can ask those organizations to place your name and number on their own do-not-call lists.

• The Registry is not foolproof. Unscrupulous telemarketers might violate the law and call you anyway. You can file a complaint about unauthorized calls by clicking "File a Complaint" at donotcall.gov.

References

• National Do Not Call Registry
• National Do Not Call Registry: Register a Phone Number
• Federal Trade Commission: The National Do Not Call Registry
• National Do Not Call Registry: File a Complaint