Stop telemarketer calls
By Dani M. Arthur • Bankrate.com

If you're tired of the zillions of telemarketers interrupting your personal space, lock them out. Enough of their annoying calls: This time you pick up the phone and do the dialing.

One call to the National Do Not Call Registry allows you to control the number of telemarketing and sales calls you receive on your personal phone numbers. By registering your phone number, you'll block most of those unwanted phone calls. Better yet, it's a free service offered by the federal government.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, created and manages the National Do Not Call Registry. The strong arm to enforce the registry includes the FTC, the Federal Communications Commission and state law enforcement officials.

The law has been in effect since September 2003. Telemarketers, sellers and their service providers have had access to the registry and are required to scrub their call lists against the National Do Not Call Registry at least once every three months.

But, beginning in January 2005, they'll have to scan their lists for changes every month. Compliance has been high thanks to the steep fine that violators must pay -- up to $11,000 per violation.

Getting your phone number on the list
There are two ways to register your phone number -- by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) or registering online at www.donotcall.gov.

If you use the phone to register, you're only allowed to register one number at a time and it must be the phone number you are calling from.

Use the Web address www.donotcall.gov to register more than one number. You can list up to three numbers at a time. For each number registered online, you'll receive a separate e-mail confirmation. Open each e-mail and click on the link to complete your registration process. Don't sit on this e-mail. You must respond to each within 72 hours, or you'll wind up starting the process over again.

The national registry only collects your phone number, not your name, and it discloses this information to telemarketers and sellers.

If you add your number via the Internet, the registry also collects your e-mail address. But the national registry securely stores this information separately from your phone number and does not share it.

Your phone number will show up on the national registry the next day, but don't expect the calls to stop immediately. At this point, telemarketers have up to three months to remove your name from their call lists. But, beginning Jan. 1, 2005, the telemarketers must scrub their lists every month.

Your phone number remains on the registry for five years, unless you choose to remove it or your phone number is disconnected.

If you move and get a new number, you'll need to register the new number. The system automatically removes numbers that are disconnected for whatever reason.

What happens if your house becomes too quiet and you actually miss monkeying with the telemarketers?

You can get back on telemarketers' lists just as easily. Call the national registry at 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number that you wish to put back on the lists. It will take a minimum of 30 days for telemarketers to add your number back to their lists.