If you’ve ever expressed frustration to someone about spam calls or robocalls, you may have gotten one misguided question: “Have you tried putting your Number on the Do Not Call Registry?” Even if you have put your number on the Registry, though, you may still be getting spam or telemarketing calls that you can’t seem to stop.
What does the Do Not Call Registry do? Does it help at all when it comes to avoiding unwanted calls? Here’s a guide to what the Do Not Call Registry is useful for and what it doesn’t help with:
What Can I Use the Do Not Call Registry For?
At its simplest, the Do Not Call Registry is a government-run program that allows people to opt out of unwanted sales calls. The Do Not Call Registry bars law-abiding companies from calling numbers on it under many circumstances. It’s free to register, and you can register multiple numbers under your name. That includes cell lines, landlines, and VoIP lines. Once you add your number to the Do Not Call Registry, the listing never expires.
The Do Not Call Registry blocks sales calls from businesses with which you haven’t done business recently or given written consent to call. Thus, it does stop sales calls, but only from actual businesses that you haven’t otherwise allowed to call you with sales information.
What Doesn’t the Do Not Call Registry Help With?
The Do Not Call Registry isn’t a fix for every unwanted call you get. It only stops calls coming from law-abiding companies. The FTC doesn’t block calls; it just offers companies a list of numbers they’re not supposed to call with unsolicited sales information. Of course, if a company is trying to scam you, it’s not going to care about the law, which means the Do Not Call Registry won’t stop those calls.
It also won’t stop robocalls; in fact, pre-recorded sales calls are illegal in general if you haven’t given written permission for a company to do so. If you get a robocall trying to sell you something, it’s almost certainly a scam.
Additionally, the Do Not Call Registry won’t stop some calls from genuine businesses. Companies that you haven’t recently done business with can still call you for a few different non-sales reasons. Political parties and organizations can call, as can charitable organizations asking for donations. Debt collection agencies can call if they’re trying to collect on a debt.
Lastly, if a company is calling with general information or a survey, it’s allowed as long as the call doesn’t include a sales pitch.
How Can I Effectively Catch Spam Calls and Robocalls?
Although the Do Not Call Registry doesn’t stop all unwanted calls, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother. It’s actually a helpful tool that can cut down on the amount of calls you receive. You just shouldn’t expect it to completely do away with the calls you don’t want. If you want to prevent spam calls and robocalls from reaching you, it’s important to bring in a third-party solution. That’s where PeopleFinders comes in.
If you’re looking for a way to avoid spam calls and robocalls, whether on your cell phone or landline, PeopleFinders is a great way to try and do so. With PeopleFinders, you can quickly perform a Reverse Phone Lookup using only a phone number. Because it’s easy to perform a reverse phone lookup from any device, it’s a good way to try and make sure you’re only picking up calls you want from people you know.
Conclusion
The Do Not Call Registry is a good tool for when you want to cut down on calls from legitimate businesses. However, it’s not going to be able to completely get rid of calls altogether, especially those that aren’t all that concerned with the law to begin with.
Instead of relying entirely upon the Do Not Call Registry to avoid unwanted calls, you can also perform a reverse phone lookup at PeopleFinders to check on unknown phone numbers. You should also keep an eye on the PeopleFinders blog, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest ways to stay safe.
Image attribution: Karen Roach – stock.adobe.com
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