How to Stop Unwanted Calls

Report Unwanted Calls

Why are you getting so many calls? Often, it’s scammers calling. Here’s what to know about blocking unwanted calls, dealing with robocalls, avoiding phone scams, and signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry.

Blocking Unwanted Calls

Scammers can use the internet to make calls from all over the world. They don’t care if you’re on the National Do Not Call Registry. That’s why your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking. Which type of call-blocking or call-labeling technology you use will depend on the phone — whether it’s a mobile, traditional landline, or a home phone that makes calls over the internet (VoIP).

Read this article: How to Block Unwanted Calls

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Robocalls

If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it's a robocall. If you’re getting a lot of robocalls trying to sell you something, odds are the calls are illegal. Many are also probably scams.

Read this article: Robocalls

Report Robocalls

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Phone Scams

Any scam can happen over the phone. But phone scammers often use common stories. Knowing their tricks will help you spot and avoid the scam. Hang up on phone scammers and hang on to your money.

Read this article: Phone Scams

Listen to real robocall scams: Robocall Scam Examples

National Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry was created to stop sales calls** **from real companies. It’s free to register your home or mobile phone number.

Read this article: National Do Not Call Registry

Register for the National Do Not Call Registry

More Resources

Call-blocking information resources:

• **CTIA: **You can find a list of call-blocking apps for mobile phones at ctia.org, a website for the U.S. wireless communications industry. The site lists apps specific to Android, BlackBerry, iOS (Apple), or Windows devices.
• FCC: For links to company-specific information about blocking calls, go to the FCC’s Call Blocking Resources.

FTC at Work:

• Press releases: You can read about recent FTC cases and other robocall-related actions on our Media Resources page.

Related Consumer Alerts

How are robocallers getting your phone number?

January 2, 2024

FTC to voice service provider: give the robocalls a rest

February 17, 2023

What are people reporting at DoNotCall.gov?

November 23, 2021

When scam calls target your client or loved one

Robocall reports still down, FTC still fighting

What do COVID-19 scams look like in your state?

The FTC keeps attacking robocalls

Free cruise? Try illegal robocall with an upsell.

January 10, 2020

What Do Not Call complaints are telling us

October 17, 2019

Who’s reporting robocalls?

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