Do Not Call Registry

What Is the Do Not Call Registry?

The Do Not Call Registry is a list of phone numbers that telemarketers are prohibited from calling in most circumstances. A person can register his or her number at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.donotcall.gov/.

Deeper definition

On June 27, 2003, the U.S. government opened the Do Not Call Registry to help citizens who did not want to receive unsolicited calls from telemarketers. Within four days, it had over 10 million phone numbers listed.

Despite several lawsuits and settlements between the FTC and various businesses that rely on telemarketing for sales, the registry remains in place.

It is free to register any mobile number. The phone number should be listed on the registry within approximately 24 hours of registration. While the Do Not Call Registry prevents an individual from receiving numerous types of telemarketing calls, he still may receive other types of solicitation calls, such as those from political groups, charitable organizations, debt collectors, telephone surveys and companies the person recently has conducted business with or given permission to call that number.

Do Not Call Registry example

When a user visits www.donotcall.gov, he can enter up to three phone numbers, along with an email address. The individual will receive a confirmation email and must click the registration link within 72 hours to complete the registration. One also can verify whether he or she already has added a phone number.

Visitors to the website can file a report if they receive an illegal sales call. Many companies get around the Do Not Call Registry by using robocalls or recordings rather than live people to do their telemarketing. This is against registry rules.

After a phone number is on the registry for 31 days, the owner of that number can file a complaint about any illegal call.

The U.S. government offers some other tips for using the Do Not Call Registry:

• Always add your own number, and never let a third party do it, especially if they request payment for doing so.
• You may only add personal numbers, not business numbers.
• When you receive an illegal call, hang up immediately and do not interact with the caller.
• The FTC and law enforcement may not respond to complaints, but they do investigate them.

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