Identity Protection

Reserve Your Spot on the Do Not Call List

Robocalls and telemarketers are inundating Americans’ cell phones with unwanted calls. Studies suggest that telemarketers make roughly 148 million junk calls per day that lead to tens of thousands of consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. One way to limit the number of scam calls you receive is to reserve your spot on the National Do Not Call Registry.

Through the National Do Not Call Registry, you can report unwanted calls and register both your home and mobile phones. Here’s how to do it:

1. Visit DoNotCall.gov.

2. Select the “Register Your Phone” tab.

3. Enter up to three phone numbers and confirm with a valid e-mail address.

4. Complete registration once you receive your confirmation e-mail, and you’re done!

Now that you’re registered, there are a few things to note.

Although your spot on the list is effective immediately, telemarketing calls may still occur for up to 31 days post-registration. Your spot on the Do Not Call list is permanent, however, so once the calls do finally stop, they’ll be stopped for good. Companies are actually fined for calling numbers on the registry, so if you receive one, be sure to report it to the FTC.

Some calls are exempt from abiding by the Do Not Call list. These include charitable calls, political calls, inquiries from debt collector, surveys and the like.

For more information, visit the FTC’s page about the National Do Not Call Registry.