Leave Me Alone!

Many people get flooded with robocalls, spam, and junk mail from real businesses and from scammers trying to get your money or personal information. For example, scammers may try to get you to answer robocalls and respond to prompts by pressing buttons your keypad, to click on links that are sent in texts or emails, or to respond to traditional mail.

Read on for tips on how to reduce the number of robocalls, spam, and junk mail you get. For information on common scams, see Internet, Phone, and Mail Scams.

Robocalls and Telemarketing Calls

The Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry is designed to stop unwanted sales calls from real companies that follow the law. It is free to register your home or cell phone number. The Registry does not actually block calls; it simply tells registered telemarketers what numbers not to call. It won’t stop scammers from making illegal calls, but it can reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls you receive. Calls are still permitted from collection agencies and creditors, political organizations, charities, pollsters and individuals doing surveys, and companies with whom you have an existing business relationship. A company may call you for 18 months after you make a purchase or three months after you submit an inquiry or application.

You can register with the Do Not Call Registry online or by calling (888) 382-1222 from the number you wish to register. Registration is free. After you register, telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry will have up to 30 days from the date you register to stop calling you.

If your number has been registered on the National Do Not Call Registry for at least 30 days and you receive an unlawful telemarketing call, you may file a complaint at https://www.donotcall.gov or by calling the registry’s toll-free number at (888) 382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236). To file a complaint, you must provide the date you got the call, your registered phone number and either the name or the phone number of the company that called you. Our office cannot trace the phone call you received or get this information for you. You may provide your name and address, but that is not required.

Even if you do not register with the National Do Not Call Registry, you have other rights and protections, including the following:

• You can ask individual telemarketers to put you on their company’s do not call list. Keep in mind that the telemarketer’s do not call list applies only to that individual company. Repeat your request to each business that calls you.
• Federal Communications Commission rules prohibit telemarketing calls to your home before 8 am or after 9 pm.
• You may report complaints and violations to the Federal Communications Commission at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or by calling (888) 225-5322.

For more tips on blocking unwanted calls and dealing with robocalls, go to the FCC’s Call Blocking Tools and Resources and the FTC’s How to Stop Unwanted Calls.

Spam (Junk Email)

Federal law requires unsolicited commercial emails to include opt-out or “unsubscribe” instructions. Additionally, many email providers have features that help you block unwanted email addresses and unsubscribe from email lists. They also usually have spam filters, “junk email” folders, or other filters that you can use to mark spam or junk email.

Some companies or organizations that you give your email address to, or whose website or mobile app you use, may share or sell that information to third parties who may then send you spam. The California Consumer Privacy Act gives Californians the right to opt out of having their personal information sold or shared with third parties, and to request deletion of their personal information. Businesses must include information on how to do so on their website and in their privacy policy. However, even if you submit a valid request to delete your personal information, be aware that the business may collect your information again if you use its website or mobile app again.

For more tips on getting less spam, go to the FTC’s How to Get Less Spam in Your Email.

Text Spam (Junk Text Messages)

Your phone may have an option to filter or block spam or texts from unknown senders. Additionally, your wireless provider may have tools or services to let you block calls or text messages. Go to ctia.org, a website by the wireless industry, to learn what options are available from your wireless provider and what call-blocking apps may be available. If you get a text spam, you can forward it to 7726. This helps your wireless provider identify and block similar messages in the future. You may also report text spam on the messaging app you use. You may report complaints to the Federal Communications Commission online or by calling (888) 225-5322.

For more information about text spam, go to the FTC’s How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages.

Junk Mail

Although there is no surefire way of removing your name from all marketing mailing lists, you can register to stop a lot of marketing junk mail at DMAchoice.org. This do-not-mail service is run by the Association of National Advertisers, which is a trade association of marketing companies. It can help stop most (but not all) mail from companies you have never purchased from. There is a small fee for registration, and your registration will last for 10 years. Go to DMAchoice.org for more information or to register.

To stop getting prescreened credit and insurance offers, go to OptOutPrescreen.com or call (888) 567-8688. This is the consumer credit reporting industry’s website for consumers to opt in or out of these offers. Opting out will remove your name from mailing lists that are supplied by the major consumer credit reporting companies. You can choose to opt out for five years or permanently.

Junk Faxes

Federal law generally prohibits the sending of unsolicited fax advertisements. Businesses may send you fax advertisements if you gave them permission, or if you have an established business relationship with the fax sender (for example, a purchase, transaction, inquiry, or application) and the business got your fax number in certain specified ways.

There are also many fax scams that try to get you to fax back—don’t do so, because you may be charged a high fee. You may get junk faxes advertising bogus business or investment opportunities, faxes claiming you won a contest or got a job offer, and other faxes from scammers trying to get your money or your personal or financial information.

To block junk fax, you may be able to use a junk fax blocker or filter setting on your fax machine or in integrated software. You may report complaints to the Federal Communications Commission online or by calling (888) 225-5322.

For more information on junk faxes, see the FCC Rules for Junk Faxes.