Understanding Unwanted Calls and Your Options

What Are Unwanted Calls and Why You Receive Them

Unwanted calls are phone calls you did not ask for and do not want to receive. They come from telemarketers, debt collectors, robocallers, scammers, and other parties trying to reach you for various reasons. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Americans receive billions of unwanted calls each year. In 2023, the FCC reported that robocalls alone accounted for over 32 billion calls annually in the United States.

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These calls fall into several categories. Telemarketing calls try to sell you products or services. Robocalls use automated systems to dial numbers and play recorded messages. Debt collection calls attempt to recover money owed on accounts. Scam calls trick you into giving personal information or money. Political calls, survey calls, and charity calls also fall into the unwanted category for many people.

The reason you receive unwanted calls involves how your phone number enters databases. Your number may be sold to marketing companies when you enter a contest, sign up for a service, or make an online purchase. Robocallers use random number generators or purchase lists of phone numbers. Data breaches can expose your number to criminals. Public records, like property ownership or court filings, sometimes contain phone numbers. Once your number is in circulation, it can be shared among dozens of calling operations.

Understanding the source of unwanted calls helps you take action. Most unwanted calls are legal business practices, though they are annoying. However, some calls violate federal laws that protect consumers. Knowing the difference between legal calls and illegal calls is the first step toward managing them.

Practical Takeaway: Unwanted calls are common and have multiple sources. Keep a record of calls you receive—including the date, time, number, and caller name—to identify patterns and determine which calls break the law.

Federal Laws That Regulate Telemarketing and Unwanted Calls

Several federal laws exist to protect consumers from unwanted calls. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), passed in 1991, is the main law that governs telemarketing, robocalls, and text messages. The TCPA sets rules about when and how companies can call you, what information they must provide, and what they cannot do. The FCC enforces the TCPA and issues regulations that explain the rules in detail.

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Under TCPA rules, telemarketers cannot call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in your local time zone. They must tell you their name, the company they represent, a phone number you can call back, and the reason for the call. They cannot use robocalls to sell products or services to your cell phone without your written permission first. Robocalls for informational purposes, like appointment reminders or emergency alerts, have different rules.

The TCPA created the National Do Not Call Registry, a list of phone numbers where people say they do not want to receive telemarketing calls. Telemarketers must check this registry and remove numbers from their calling lists. However, the Do Not Call Registry does not stop all unwanted calls. Debt collectors, charities, political organizations, and survey companies are not always required to follow Do Not Call rules. Calls from companies you have done business with in the past 18 months may still reach you even if you are on the list.

Robocalls for autodialed messages face stricter rules. Companies cannot legally use robocalls to reach cell phones without prior written permission, except for emergency alerts, healthcare messages, and a few other exceptions. Robocalls to landlines have different rules. The Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) adds additional protections, including rules about when companies can call and what they must say.

Violations of these laws can result in fines for companies. The FCC has authority to issue citations and collect penalties. If a company violates your rights, you may also have the right to take legal action or file a complaint with the FCC or Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Practical Takeaway: Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. This is a free service and is a first line of defense against telemarketing calls.

How to Identify Scam Calls and Protect Yourself

Scam calls trick you into sharing personal information or sending money. These calls are illegal and cause real financial and emotional harm. Learning to spot common scam tactics is an important part of protecting yourself. Scammers often create a sense of urgency, ask for personal information like your Social Security number or bank details, or claim you owe money or have won a prize.

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Common scam call types include IRS scams, tech support scams, Social Security scams, bank scams, and prize or lottery scams. In IRS scams, callers claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service and say you owe back taxes. They threaten arrest or legal action and demand immediate payment. The real IRS does not call people without sending a letter first, and they do not threaten arrest over the phone. Tech support scams claim your computer has a virus and offer to fix it for a fee. Bank scams falsely claim there is suspicious activity on your account and ask you to verify information. Social Security scams claim your Social Security number has been suspended and demand action.

Red flags that a call is likely a scam include: the caller is aggressive, hostile, or uses threats; the caller demands payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency; the caller asks for personal information like your Social Security number, banking information, or passwords; the caller creates urgency and says you must act within hours; the caller's number appears to be from a government agency but may be spoofed; the caller claims you have won something you never entered; the caller says you owe money but provides no details; the phone number shown on your caller ID may be fake or similar to a real government number.

If you receive a suspicious call, hang up. Do not press buttons, do not say "yes" to questions, and do not transfer money. If the caller claims to be from your bank, the IRS, Social Security, or another organization, hang up and call that organization directly using a phone number from an official website or bill. Never call a number the caller provides. If you have already given information to a scammer, contact your bank, credit card companies, and the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) immediately.

Practical Takeaway: Create a personal rule: never give personal information, passwords, or financial details to anyone who calls you unsolicited, even if they claim to be from a known organization. Legitimate organizations will not ask for this information over the phone.

Tools and Strategies to Block or Reduce Unwanted Calls

Several tools and strategies can help reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive. Your phone itself often has built-in features that block calls. Most cell phones allow you to block specific numbers by adding them to a blocked contacts list. When you block a number, calls from that number go directly to voicemail or are rejected. You can also set your phone to silence calls from unknown numbers or send them to voicemail.

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Call blocking apps and services offer additional protection. Apps like Nomorobo, RoboKiller, Call Filter, and Truecaller use databases of known scam and spam numbers to identify and block unwanted calls before they reach you. Some apps screen calls and send spam calls directly to voicemail without ringing your phone. These apps may cost money, though some offer free versions with limited features. Some wireless carriers, like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, offer call blocking services to their customers at no additional charge or for a small monthly fee.

Practical strategies also reduce unwanted calls. Limit sharing your phone number online. When you post your number on websites, in online directories, or on social media, it becomes easier for telemarketers and scammers to find. Be cautious when entering your phone number on forms or websites, especially if the request seems unnecessary. Read privacy policies to see how companies will use your number. Opt out of marketing when given the choice.

Do not answer calls from unknown numbers. Many people believe that not answering confirms an active number, but this is not how most calling systems work. If a call is important, the caller will leave a voicemail. Listening to voicemails before returning