The National Do Not Call Registry is a vital step towards limiting your exposure to scams and fraud.
To add up to three phone numbers at one time to the Registry, simply visit donotcall.gov and click “Register a Phone Number.” There will be spaces to enter your phone numbers and a couple blanks for your email address (they make you type it twice to confirm; it’s one of the oldest methods to get people to enter correct addresses). Then you hit “Submit.”
After this, you’ll get a separate email message for each number you entered. You have to click on the links in these messages (or use copy/paste) to finalize your registration. I know, I always warn against clicking links in emails, but in this case, they are solicited—you’re the one who contacted them first, and asked for the service. At this point, you’re done.
You used to have to re-register every couple years, but they passed a new law a while back that makes Do Not Call Registry entries permanent. This means that, after a couple weeks, you’ll never get a telemarketing call again, for as long as you have the phone number you entered.
But wait, what if you do get a telemarketing call? One of two possibilities:
- It’s a legitimate call from a company you already have a relationship with, or it is from an exempt organization (I’m pretty sure political parties are an example). These calls are not prohibited and probably never will be.
- It’s a rogue entity that is completely ignoring the Registry, and is therefore running some form of scam.
It serves as an instant litmus test—if your number is on the Registry, anybody who makes a sales call to you is already violating federal law, so they probably don’t have any qualms about committing fraud.