How to stop spam calls

Registration at DoNotCall.gov is free, takes a minute, and does not expire. Telemarketers covered by the rules generally must stop sales calls within 31 days of your registration.

The Registry does not stop everything. Scammers ignore it, and political, charitable, survey, purely informational, and debt-collection calls are treated differently.

Separately from the national list, you can ask an individual company to place you on its internal do-not-call list. Note the date, the name of the person or company, and the exact request you made.

If you once gave permission to be contacted, you can generally revoke that consent through any reasonable method, and covered callers must honor a revocation within no more than 10 business days.

Most carriers offer call-labeling and blocking services, and both iPhone and Android can silence calls from unknown numbers and filter unknown-sender texts. Voicemail still captures anything legitimate.

Answering, pressing a key, or saying words to a recording can confirm that a real person is on the line and lead to more calls. Never share account numbers, one-time codes, or payment details with an unexpected caller, even if the caller ID looks local or familiar—numbers are easy to spoof.

Federal law restricts certain automated calls, prerecorded or artificial-voice messages, and marketing texts sent without required consent, and it sets Do Not Call and identification requirements. Debt collection is handled under separate rules that address call timing, frequency, and harassment.

Not every unwanted call is illegal. Whether a particular call breaks the law depends on who called, the technology used, the content, and your consent history.

If calls continue, a simple record is far more useful than memory. Keep originals and avoid editing them.

Consider reporting when calls keep coming after you registered or asked a company to stop, when a recording or automated text arrives without your permission, or when a collector calls at odd hours or repeatedly about the same debt.

Complaints to the FCC, FTC, and CFPB support enforcement but do not award money to you. Information here is educational only and is not legal advice about your situation.