General information only.

The Do Not Call Registry — How It Works

This page explains the National Do Not Call Registry in plain words. It explains what the Registry does. It also explains what the Registry does not do. The facts below come only from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), named in the Sources section. This page does not collect phone numbers. It never asks you to sign up for anything.

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1. What the Registry is

The National Do Not Call Registry is designed to stop unwanted sales calls from real companies that follow the law.

The Registry is a list. It tells registered telemarketers what numbers not to call.

The Registry does not block calls. It is a list, not a blocker on your phone.

It is free to register your home or cell phone number.

2. How to register your number

You can register in two ways.

• Online: Go to DoNotCall.gov.
• By phone: Call 1-888-382-1222. For TTY, call 1-866-290-4236.

If you register by phone, you must call from the phone you want to register.

Registration is free.

If you register at DoNotCall.gov, you will get an email with a link. You have to click on the link in the email within 72 hours to complete your registration.

You can register up to three numbers at a time online. To register more phone numbers, go through the registration process again.

Yes, you can add a cell phone number. There is no difference between cell phone and home phone numbers once they are listed on the Registry.

The Registry is for personal phone numbers. Business phone numbers and fax lines are not covered.

3. How long it takes

Your phone number should show up on the Registry the next day.

But it can take up to 31 days for sales calls to stop.

Showing up on the list is not the same as calls stopping that day. Give it the full 31 days.

To check whether your number is on the Registry, go to DoNotCall.gov. Or call 1-888-382-1222 from that number.

4. Your registration does not expire

No, your registration will never expire.

The FTC will only remove your number from the Registry if it is disconnected and reassigned, or if you ask to remove it.

You can take your number off the Registry. To remove your number, call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to remove.

5. What the Registry stops

The Registry stops unwanted sales calls. That covers live calls and robocalls.

It stops those sales calls from real companies that follow the law.

6. What the Registry does not stop

The Registry will not stop all unwanted calls.

Being on the Registry will not stop calls from scammers making illegal calls. Scammers break the law. The Registry is a list for companies that follow the law.

If you answer a call from a scammer, hang up. Then report the call to the FTC.

Some other types of calls are still allowed under FTC rules, even if you are on the Registry. The rules allow:

• political calls
• charitable calls
• debt collection calls
• purely informational calls
• surveys

But these calls cannot also include a sales pitch.

A company can also still call you in two cases:

• You have recently done business with them.
• You have given them written permission to call.

If you ask a company not to call you, they have to stop. Write down the date you asked them to stop.

7. A note about robocalls

A robocall is a call that plays a recorded message.

If a robocall is selling something, it is illegal. The one exception is this: the company has written permission, directly from you, to call you that way.

If you get an illegal robocall, hang up. Do not press buttons to be taken off a call list or to talk to a live person. That might lead to more unwanted calls. Instead, report it to the FTC.

8. Do not let a caller register you

Sometimes a person calls and offers to put your name on the Registry. Do not let them.

The FTC says this about that kind of offer: websites or phone solicitations that claim they can or will register a consumer's name or phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry — especially those that charge a fee — are almost certainly a scam.

The FTC also says the FTC does not allow private companies or other such third parties to register consumers for the Registry.

Register yourself. It is free and easy to register yourself at DoNotCall.gov, or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register (TTY: 1-866-290-4236).

9. How to report an unwanted call

Where you report depends on what happened.

If you did not lose money and you just want to report a call, use the streamlined reporting form at DoNotCall.gov.

If you lost money to a phone scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Also use ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you have information about the company or scammer who called you.

When you report a call, include:

• your number — the number that received the call
• the number that is on your caller ID, even if you think it might be spoofed or faked
• any number you are told to call back
• the date and time of the call, if you are able to

The FTC gets millions of reports each year, so it cannot respond to each one. Your report still matters. The FTC and other law enforcement agencies analyze reports to identify and take action against the people responsible for illegal calls and scams.

Sources

General information only.