How Do I Report A Suspicious Phone Call?

How to Report Spam Calls Nosotros've all been there. Your phone screen lights up, and you reach for information technology to encounter what friend or family member is reaching out, only to read… "Unknown Caller." "Restricted Number." Maybe just a phone number yous don't recognize.

Ugh. Another spam call .

The unrelenting obnoxiousness of some spammers tin can hands have us wondering how to report spam calls — and how to get them to finish for good. At that place'due south both good and bad news for consumers on this subject: While it'due south unlikely that you'll e'er be able to completely terminate all spam calls for good, there are steps you can take to avoid and block many of them.

So whether you just get an occasional call that takes you by surprise, or yous're completely fed up with routine spam calls, read on. We have everything consumers need to know well-nigh unwanted calls and how to fight back against them.

What Counts equally a Spam Call?

What counts as a spam call? The differences between a sales call and a phone scam: Phone scams are always illegal, made by criminal people or entities who want to steal your money or personal information. Phone scams are harder to stop, since the callers don't follow laws and regulations. Spam calls technically embrace all unwanted, unsolicited phone calls.

These can have a few different forms, which has a major bear upon on how much y'all can do to cease them.

In that location are traditional spam calls, which come from legitimate businesses, usually for the purpose of selling something. When you think of telemarketers, you're thinking of this kind of spam call. The U.S. has laws and regulations that limit how and when these kinds of callers can contact you, and you have a lot of recourse if you desire this kind of spammer to finish lighting up your phone.

On the other manus, spam calls can come in the form of outright scams. These are calls from criminal people and entities that are usually trying to become coin or personal information from you. Scam calls are always illegal, only since they're already operating outside of the law, it tin can brand them harder to terminate.

We'll explain some of the tactics and strategies yous can apply to avert both types of spam calls below.

How to Stop Spam Calls

When it comes to putting a cease to spam calls, consumers take two main options: Avoiding spam calls in the showtime place, and reporting them in one case they start to happen. Here are some tips, tricks, and tactics for both.

How to Avoid Spam Calls

The best way to bargain with spam calls is to avoid getting them in the beginning place. These are some ways you can try to avoid spam calls.

Put your number on the National Practice Not Call registry.

The first footstep whatsoever consumer should take to avert spam calls is to put their number on the Federal Trade Committee'due south National Exercise Non Call Registry . The process is quick and simple to do online. Under federal police force, once your number is on the registry, telemarketers tin can no longer contact you via that phone number. If you get whatsoever telemarketing calls afterward your number has been on the registry for 31 days, you tin can study the caller to the FTC (more data on how to do that beneath).

Screen calls from unknown numbers.

When you receive a telephone call from a number y'all don't recognize, y'all should let it get to voicemail. The reason for this is that once yous answer a call from a spammer, information technology tells them that your number is "live" and that if they keep calling information technology, there is a person on the other end of the line. If the call is legitimate, they'll leave yous a message and y'all tin call them back.

Check your phone's settings.

In some cases, y'all can use your telephone's settings to help avoid spam calls. Google phones accept a button to report spam callers from within the phone app. This characteristic isn't available on iPhones, only they allow y'all automatically silence calls from unknown numbers, another way yous can avoid spam.

Check your carrier's options.

If the settings on your phone don't seem like enough to stop spam calls, check with your mobile carrier . Some of them offer options to block unknown callers to your number for a flow of fourth dimension.

Block individual numbers.

If you're getting spam calls from the same number repeatedly, you can block that number. Unfortunately, now that spammers are able to spoof their numbers, this tactic isn't as constructive as it one time was.

Use a VOIP number for online forms.

A number of online services offer free or affordable VOIP (voice over IP) phone numbers. You lot tin can prepare a VOIP number to use for signup forms, especially online. That way, you lot don't give your real phone number out to potential spam callers.

Change your telephone number.

If yous're getting a ton of spam calls and just need relief, y'all might consider irresolute your phone number. Most carriers will allow you to do so for free. As long every bit you're careful to simply give out your new number to friends and family unit, this should significantly cut downward on the spam calls you lot receive.

How to Report Spam Calls that Won't Stop

Avoiding spam calls isn't the only fashion to make them stop. Consumers also have a number of options for reporting spam callers to the right regulatory agencies that can investigate them, and impose fines and other punishments if they're institute to be breaking the law.

The Federal Merchandise Commission'southward Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) established the National Do Not Call Registry and rules that help consumers limit the number of telemarketing calls they receive. Here'south how to use those rules to report bad actors.

Written report robocalls and telemarketing calls to the Do Non Call Registry.

Once your phone number has been on the Exercise No Call Registry for 31 days, federal law prohibits telemarketers from calling it. If they do, report them to the registry .

Report violations of the Do Not Call registry to the Federal Trade Commission.

The TSR, which established the Practise Not Call Registry, is under the purview of the FTC. And so if y'all add together your number to the registry and get spam calls anyway, you tin can written report the callers to the FTC, who tin investigate them to see if they're violating the TSR. Y'all tin can file a study with the FTC online or by phone at 1-877-382-4357.

Report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission.

Under the Truth in Caller ID Deed, many kinds of caller ID spoofing are illegal. If a spammer contacts you by spoofing a familiar number to become you lot to reply, you tin can report them to the FCC either online or by phone at one-888-225-5322.

Report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission.

If you're contacted past someone who seems to exist fraudulently trying to obtain money or personal information from you lot, you tin can report them every bit a possible scammer to the FTC. The FTC takes complaints both online and by phone at 1-877-382-4357.

Tin You Stop All Spam Calls?

The unfortunate reality is that there's not really whatever way to completely protect yourself from all spam calls forever. Even if you take all possible precautions and diligently report spam calls you practise receive, you lot'll probably yet get them from time to fourth dimension. But by using the tips above, you can minimize how many spam calls you take to deal with.

What to Do If Spam Calls Simply Won't Stop

What do y'all do if you've taken every possible step to avoid and report spam calls, and they only won't terminate?

Yous might accept legal avenues.

In some cases, you might be able to file a lawsuit confronting a company that aggressively contacts you to endeavour to brand a sale. Even so, lawsuits can be expensive, time consuming, and complex. In the case of spam calls, a lawsuit may merely not seem worth the attempt.

And so what about consumer mediation ? Arbitration is a legal process — similar to minor claims courtroom — that allows consumers to settle disputes with big companies. Both sides present their case to an independent arbitrator, who makes a legally binding determination virtually who'south in the right and what damages they're entitled to. This could cease spam calls from a company — or get dorsum money that you lost to overly ambitious sales tactics.