How can I stop telemarketing calls?
Telemarketing is a common way in which identity thieves contact their potential victims, hoping to either scam personal information or money out of them. You can limit the number of telemarketing calls targeting your property by registering with the National Do Not Call Registry (NDNCR), which was set up in order to give consumers more control over telemarketing calls and is enforced by the national consumer agency the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state law enforcement departments.
How does the National Do Not Call Registry Work?
Once you have registered your details with the National Do Not Call Registry telemarketing companies will have 31 days to remove your telephone number from their calling lists. You can check to see if your number has been listed on the registry by going online to www.donotcall.gov or by calling the NDNCR toll free 1-888-382-1222, and you can list up to three personal landline numbers at once time. Telemarketing companies are prohibited from using their industry standard automated dialling systems for cell phone numbers, so you will not need to register these with the NDNCR. Once your details have been registered they will be held securely and not shared with any third parties (you can see more information about the FTC’s privacy policy at www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.shtm). If you want to go back to receiving telemarketing calls you can also contact the NDNCR and get your number removed from the registry, and telemarketers can then add your number back to their calling lists (if they wish to).
The FTC regulates and administers the National Do Not Call Registry, so you should be wary of anyone calling you or advertising that they will registry your name on the NDNCR, especially if they are charging a fee for doing this for you, as in actual fact you can register your own number for free by contacting the NDNCR directly or through an official state government channel.