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INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
Tell Me More About the National Do Not Call Registry
Registration Information:
Limiting Calls Information:
Complaint Information:
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Tell Me More About the National Do Not Call Registry
| Q: |
Why would I register my phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry?
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| A: |
The National Do Not Call Registry gives you an
opportunity to limit the telemarketing calls you receive. On October 1, 2003,
when the National Do Not Call Registry will be enforced,
most telemarketers will be required to remove the numbers on the
registry from their call lists.
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| Q: |
Who manages the National Do Not Call Registry?
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| A: |
The National Do Not Call Registry is managed by
the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection
agency. It will be enforced by the FTC, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and state law enforcement officials.
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| Q: |
Why was the National Do Not Call Registry created?
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| A: |
The registry was created to offer consumers a
choice regarding telemarketing calls. The FTC’s decision to create the National
Do Not Call Registry was the culmination of a comprehensive, three year review
of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, as well as the Commission’s extensive
experience enforcing the Rule over seven years. The FTC held numerous
workshops, meetings and briefings to solicit feedback from interested parties
and considered over 64,000 public comments, most of which favored creating the
registry. You can review the entire record of the Rule review at www.ftc.gov/bcp/rulemaking/tsr/tsrrulemaking/index.htm.
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How Does Registration Work?
| Q: |
How soon after I register will I notice a reduction in calls?
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| A: |
If you register by
August 31, 2003, you will start receiving fewer telemarketing calls by
October 1, 2003. If you register after September 1, 2003,
telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry will have up
to three months from the date you register to stop calling you.
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| Q: |
I’ve already registered on my state’s do not call list.
Do I need to register on the National Do Not Call Registry?
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| A: |
The answer depends on where you live. Most of the 27 states that currently have
active do not call lists will transfer numbers from their lists to the National
Do Not Call Registry. A few will not. You can find out which states are
transferring their do not call lists to the National Do Not Call Registry at www.ftc.gov/donotcall. If you live in a state that is
transferring its do not call list to the national registry, you do not need to
re-register. On the other hand, if you live in a state that has its own do not
call list, but the state is not transferring numbers to the National Registry,
then you need to register your own number on the National Registry. If you are
uncertain whether you are on a state do not call list and wish to limit your
telemarketing contacts, you can register with the National Do Not Call
Registry.
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| Q: |
When I register my phone number, how long until it shows
up on the National Do Not Call Registry?
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| A: |
After you register, your phone number will be
available for telemarketers to remove it from their call lists by the next day.
Telemarketers will have up to three months to get your phone number and remove
it from their call lists.
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| Q: |
How long does it take after I delete my phone number for
it to be deleted from the National Do Not Call Registry?
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| A: |
After you delete your phone number, it will be
removed from the National Do Not Call Registry by the next day. But
telemarketers have up to three months to access information about your deletion
and add your number back to their call lists, if they choose to.
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| Q: |
If I registered by phone, will I receive a confirmation?
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| A: |
No, but you can verify that your number is on
the registry online or by calling the registry’s toll-free number,
1-888-382-1222; for TTY, call 1-866-290-4236.
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| Q: |
I received a phone call from someone offering to put my
name on the National Do Not Call Registry. Should I let them?
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| A: |
No. The FTC will not allow private companies or
other such third parties to "pre-register" consumers for the National Do Not
Call Registry. Web sites or phone solicitations that claim they can or will
register a consumer's name or phone number on a national list – especially
those that charge a fee – are a scam. Consumers are able to register directly,
or through some state governments, but never private companies. The National Do
Not Call Registry is a free service of the federal government.
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What About the Privacy of My Information?
| Q: |
If I choose to register my phone number, what personal information will be kept
in the national registry, and how will it be used?
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| A: |
The only personal identifying information that
will be shared with telemarketers is the phone number you register. Your email
address will be stored separately and securely. It will not be accessible by
others outside the FTC once we send a reply message to you.
Covered
telemarketers are required to download registered phone numbers every
three months. Law enforcement officials may access the phone numbers as part of
investigations. If your state maintains its own do not call list, it may
receive the list of phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry to
update the state list.
If your phone number is removed from the National Do Not Call Registry, it will
be available to the FTC and law enforcement officials for two years from the
date of removal. Your phone number may be removed from the Registry because it
was disconnected, you asked for it to be deleted or your registration expired
after five years.
For more information, see our
privacy policy
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What Phone Numbers Can I Register?
| Q: |
Can I register my cell phone number?
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| A: |
Yes.
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| Q: |
Can I register all my family and friends?
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| A: |
No. You should register only your own telephone
numbers.
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| Q: |
I have more than three personal telephone numbers. How
can I register all of those numbers?
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| A: |
You may register up to three telephone numbers
at one time on the National Do Not Call Registry Web site. If you have more
than three personal telephone numbers, you will have to go through the
registration process more than once to register all of your numbers. There is a
limit on the number of phone numbers you can register in this manner.
You can only register one phone number each time you call the National Do Not
Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222; for TTY, call 1-866-290-4236. You must call
from the phone number you wish to register.
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| Q: |
What happens if I register more than one number at a time online?
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| A: |
You will get an email for each number you register online. You need to open
each email and click on the link in each email to register those numbers.
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| Q: |
Can I register my business phone number?
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| A: |
The National Do Not Call Registry is only for personal phone numbers. Business
to business calls are not covered by the National Do Not Call Registry.
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When Does My Registration Expire?
| Q: |
How long does my phone number stay registered?
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| A: |
Your phone number will remain on the registry for five years from the date you
register (unless you choose to take it off the registry). If you register
online, you may want to print the Web page when your registration is accepted
for your records.
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| Q: |
How can I find out when my registration expires?
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| A: |
You can click on the Verify a Registration button any time to check your
expiration date. Your registration will expire five years from your
registration date. You may want to print the Web page with your registration
date for your records.
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What If I Move or My Phone Is Disconnected?
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I moved and got a new phone number. Do I need to register the new number?
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Yes, you need to register the new phone number.
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| Q: |
Do I need to take my old phone number off the list when I get a new number?
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No. You can if you would like to, but the system will automatically remove
numbers that are disconnected for any reason.
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| Q: |
What happens if my phone number is disconnected and then reconnected?
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If your phone number is disconnected for any reason, and then reconnected, you
will need to re-register. Here are some examples:
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If you have a vacation home, and you disconnect the service for the months you
are not there, then you need to re-register that phone number when you turn
your service on again. Each time you re-register, telemarketers have up to
another three months to take your number off their call lists.
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If your phone service was disconnected because of a billing issue, then you
need to re-register the phone number when service is re-established. Each time
you re-register, telemarketers have up to another three months to take your
number off their call lists.
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Registration and My Email Address
| Q: |
Why do you need my email address?
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| A: |
When you use this Web site to put a number on the National Do Not Call
Registry, we will send you an email as part of the registration process. You
need to click on the link in the email to finalize your registration. We also
will email you if you request to verify your registration online.
Your email address will not be provided to telemarketers or the public. For
more details, see our privacy policy.
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| Q: |
Can I register online if I do not have an active email address?
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No. The online registration process requires an active email address. If you
register online, we will send you an email message with a link in it. You need
to click on the link in the email to finalize your registration. If you do not
have an email address, you can register by phone once phone registration for
your state is available. [See
Schedule]
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| Q: |
Can I reply to the email I got when I was registering?
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No. The email address Register@donotcall.gov is a one-way mail service. It
cannot accept incoming emails.
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| Q: |
What if my email address changes after I register? Will I still be able to
verify my registration in the national registry?
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Yes, you will be able to use your new email address to verify your
registration online.
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| Q: |
I received an email from Register@donotcall.gov, but nothing happens when I
click on the link (or there's no link to click on). What should I do?
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If you use older browsers from certain Internet Service Providers (including
AOL), you may not be able to click on the link in your email from
Register@donotcall.gov. If that happens, you can complete your registration by
using the "cut" and "paste" functions to insert the link in the email into the
"Address" line on your Web browser. You must cut and paste the entire link. It
is very long - possibly more than one line of text. You cannot re-type the
link.
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| Q: |
I received an email from Register@donotcall.gov, but when I click on the link,
I'm taken to a page that says "REGISTRATION INCOMPLETE." What should I do?
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The link is very long - possibly more than one line of text. Your email system
may not "read" an address on more than one line. Maximize the email so that it
covers an entire screen. Then click on the link. If that doesn't work, you can
complete your registration by using the "cut" and "paste" functions to insert
the link from the email into the "Address" line on your Web browser. You must
cut and paste the entire link. You cannot re-type it.
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I'm Having Problems with Registration
| Q: |
I called to register my phone number, but the message said my phone number
could not be verified. Why not?
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When you call to register a phone number, you are asked to enter the number you
are calling from. The system tries to match the number you enter to "Automatic
Number Identification" or ANI, which is like Caller ID for the telephone
network. A small percentage of U.S. phones do not have ANI. If your phone
doesn’t, the system will have trouble locating your phone number. You can
register your phone number on this Web site by going to the Register page.
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| Q: |
I called to register my phone number, but the message said that the phone
number I was calling from did not match the phone number I entered. What
happened?
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To register, you must call from the phone you want to register. For example,
you cannot register your home phone number by calling from work.
Also, people in certain communities – such as senior living centers or
university residences – have phone numbers that are hidden by a PBX (private
branch exchange) telephone system and cannot be matched by the National Do Not
Call system. If you live in such a community, you can register your phone
number on this Web site using the Register page.
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| Q: |
Can I send an email to Register@donotcall.gov if I have a problem?
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No. Register@donotcall.gov is a one-way mail service at this time. It cannot
accept incoming emails.
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Will All Telemarketing Calls Stop If I Register?
| Q: |
If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all
telemarketing calls?
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No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most,
but not all, telemarketing calls. You may still receive calls from
political organizations,
charities, telephone
surveyors or companies with which you have an
existing business relationship.
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| Q: |
I get calls soliciting money for political organizations or for charities –
will the National Do Not Call Registry stop those calls?
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| A: |
Political solicitations are not covered by the National Do Not Call Registry.
Telemarketers calling to solicit charitable contributions are not covered by
the registry, but if you make a request to a specific organization that they
not call you, they are required to honor your request. If they subsequently
call you again, they may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000.
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| Q: |
What about telephone surveys?
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If the call is really for the sole purpose of conducting a survey, it is not
covered. Only telemarketing calls are covered – that is, calls that solicit
sales of goods or services. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also
offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call
Registry.
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| Q: |
My number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. After I bought something
from a company, a telemarketer representing that organization called me. Is
this a violation?
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No. Even if you put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, a company
with which you have an established business relationship may call you for up to
18 months after your last purchase or delivery from it, or your last payment to
it, unless you ask the company not to call again. (In that case, the company
must honor your request not to call. If they subsequently call you again, they
may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000.) Also, if you make an inquiry to a
company or submit an application to it, for three months afterwards the company
can call you. If you make a specific request to that company not to call you,
however, then the company may not call you, even if you have an established
business relationship with that company.
If you do not want to put your number on the national registry, you can still
prohibit individual telemarketers, one by one, from calling by asking them to
put you on their company’s do not call list.
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| Q: |
Are telemarketing calls from overseas covered?
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Yes. Any telemarketers calling U.S. consumers are covered, regardless of where
they are calling from. If a company within the U.S. solicits sales through an
overseas professional telemarketer, that U.S. company is liable for any
violations by the telemarketer. The FTC can initiate enforcement actions
against such companies.
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Other Ways to Limit Telemarketing Calls
| Q: |
I'm happy to have the choice to limit telemarketing contacts, but there are
some telemarketing calls I don't mind receiving. Is there a way to allow only
certain companies to call?
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Yes. If you give a company your written permission to call you, they may do so
even if you have placed your number on the National Do Not Call Registry.
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| Q: |
If I don’t want to put my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, can I
still stop telemarketers from calling?
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Yes. Even if you do not register with the National Do Not Call Registry, you
can still prohibit individual telemarketers, one by one, from calling, by
asking them to put you on their company's do not call list.
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| Q: |
What is the relationship between the state do not call lists and the National
Do Not Call Registry in terms of coverage?
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The National Do Not Call Registry requirements are at least as stringent as
most state laws. Because most unwanted telemarketing calls are part of
nationwide, interstate selling campaigns, they will be covered by the National
Do Not Call Registry. At any rate, the states can continue to enforce their
laws, which will not be limited by the National Do Not Call Registry.
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Filing a Do Not Call Complaint
| Q: |
Why would I file a do not call complaint?
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If your number has been on the National Do Not Call Registry for at least three
months and you receive a call from a telemarketer that you believe is covered
by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint on this Web
site. To file a complaint, you must know either the name or telephone number of
the company that called you, and the date the company called you.
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| Q: |
When can I file a do not call complaint?
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If you register your phone number between
June 27 and August 31, 2003, then you can file a complaint if a
telemarketer calls you starting October 1, 2003.
If you register your phone number after August 31, 2003, then you must wait
three months before telemarketers must stop calling. After three months, you
can file a do not call complaint on this Web site or by calling 1-888-382-1222;
for TTY, call 1-866-290-4236.
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How do I file a do not call complaint? What do I need to file a complaint?
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You can file your complaint on this Web site using the File a Complaint page,
which will be available starting October 1, 2003. You must know either the name
or the phone number of the company that called you. You also must provide the
date that the company called you and your registered phone number. You may
provide your name and address, but it’s not required for you to submit a
complaint. For more information, see the privacy policy. You may also call 1-888-382-1222 to
submit a complaint; for TTY, call 1-866-290-4236
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| Q: |
What happens to my complaint?
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Do not call complaints will be entered into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online
database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies
worldwide. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your
complaint will help us investigate the company, and could lead to law
enforcement action.
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| Q: |
What if I get a telemarketing call, but can’t get the telemarketer’s name or
phone number?
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For law enforcement officials to take action on your complaint, they need
either the telemarketer’s name or phone number. If you want to report a Do Not
Call violation, please get that information.
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| Q: |
I received a telemarketing call that I think is a scam. What should I do?
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If you think you’ve received a fraudulent telemarketing call, go to
www.ftc.gov and click File a Complaint Online. You can file a fraud
complaint with the FTC whether your number is on the National Do Not Call
Registry or not, but if it is, please mention it in your complaint. While the
FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps us
investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters
Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into
Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and
criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide. For more information on
telemarketing scams, check out www.ftc.gov/donotcall.
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