- What is the Do Not Call Registry?
The registry is a list that consumers can join to reduce unwanted telemarketing calls to their home and cellular phone numbers. Consumers can register their telephone numbers at no cost for five years. Most telemarketers will be required to purchase the list, and will be barred from calling any phone number registered on the list within three months of the date the number was registered, unless the telemarketer has written permission to call that number.
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- How do I get my phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?
You can register using the Internet or call toll-free. It's quick and free.
Online: www.donotcall.gov
Call Toll Free: (888) 382-1222
Hearing Impaired: (866) 290-4236
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- How much does it cost register?
It's free.
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- How long will my number be listed on the Do Not Call Registry?
Once you've registered your home or cellular phone numbers, they will stay on the registry for five years, or until you take them out of the registry or change phone numbers. You will be able to renew your registration every five years.
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- If I pre-registered for the Do Not Call Registry with the California Attorney General, do I need to register again with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
No. California is coordinating with the FTC. If you pre-registered with the California Attorney General, your telephone number(s) have been given to the FTC for inclusion in the nationwide Do Not Call list. You will then be registered with the FTC's Do Not Call list for five years. Most telemarketing calls should stop within three months of early July, the time when your name was forwarded to the FTC.
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- How does the Do Not Call Registry work for telemarketers? How does the Do Not Call Registry protect me from telemarketing calls?
The law requires telemarketers to search the registry every 90 days and delete from their call lists phone numbers that are on the registry. If you find that you are receiving telemarketing calls three months after you have registered your telephone number, you will be able to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or the California Attorney General. File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the California Attorney General using the on-line complaint form at http://www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222 (TTY: 866-290-4236). A telemarketer who disregards the national Do Not Call Registry could be fined up to $11,000 for each call.
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- When do telemarketers have to stop calling me?
Most telemarketing calls should stop within three months of the date you register on the Do Not Call list. There are some exceptions. The law allows calls from charities and debt collectors, and from businesses with which you have an established business relationship. It also allows calls from the owner of local businesses within 50 miles of your home. (For more information on established business relationships, see question 10.) By federal law, you may ask businesses to put you on their own do not call lists.
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- Are you registered and still getting unwanted telemarketing calls?
File a complaint. If three months have passed since the date you registered, and you are still getting unwanted telemarketing calls, make a note of the of name of the company and the date and time of the call. File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the California Attorney General using the on-line complaint form at http://www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222 (TTY: 866-290-4236).
The law does allow calls from charities and debt collectors, and from businesses with which you have an established business relationship. It also allows calls from the owner of local businesses within 50 miles of your home. For more information on established business relationships, see question 10. By federal law, you may ask businesses to put you on their own do not call lists.
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- Who will be responsible for enforcing the Do Not Call law?
The California Attorney General's Office, local prosecutors, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will be able to bring enforcement actions against telemarketers who violate the law. The FTC will enter all consumer complaints it receives about violations into a national database that is searchable by law enforcement officials. In addition, state enforcement officials can send complaints to the FTC database.
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- Are all telemarketers covered under the Do Not Call Registry?
Most telemarketers will be covered by the registry, but the law provides for some exceptions, including charities, political groups, and companies that have an established relationship with a consumer. Under the established business relationship rule, a business with which you have conducted business may call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase, payment or delivery - even if your name is on the national Do Not Call Registry. Companies to which you've made an inquiry or submitted an application may call you for three months. The law also allows calls from the owner of local businesses within 50 miles of your home. If a company is calling across state lines, however, and you ask that company not to call you, it must honor your request, even if you have an established business relationship.
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- Where can I get more information about telemarketing restrictions?
Visit the Attorney General's web site at http://ag.ca.gov/donotcall/index.htm. Or call the Attorney General's Public Inquiry Unit, Do Not Call at (888)398-(STOP) 7867. More information also is available at the Federal Trade Commission's website at "www.ftc.gov/donotcall".
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