Placing one's number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls.
Only telemarketing calls are covered — that is, calls that solicit sales of goods or services. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call Registry. An example of an operation attempting to skirt this rule is the Dove Foundation which places "survey" calls and then requests permission for a follow-up call, which attempts to sell goods through a for-profit company. This operation resulted in a restraining order in Missouri in March 2006, but the operation continues in other states.
Even if one puts his number on the National Do Not Call Registry, a company with which the person has an established business relationship may call for up to 18 months after his/her last purchase or delivery from it, or last payment to it, unless the party specifically asks the company not to call again. (In that case, the company must honor the request not to call. If they subsequently call, they may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000 USD.) Also, if one makes an inquiry to a company or submits an application to it, for three months afterwards, the company can call. If one makes a specific request to that company not to call them, however, then the company may not call, even if you have an established business relationship with that company.
If one does not want to put a number on the national registry, they can still prohibit individual telemarketers, one by one, from calling by asking the telemarketer to put them on their company’s do-not-call list.
Despite a spate of emails warning to the contrary, cell phone numbers need not be included on the National Do Not Call Registry to avoid unsolicited calls. FCC regulations already in place prohibit telemarketers from calling a cellular phone number with an automatic dialer. Experts tell media sources that the false email turned urban legend probably started because cellular companies are developing wireless directories. However, cell numbers will not be included in the list unless consent is given.
Also not covered by this law are bill collectors (either primary creditors or collection agencies.). These callers are, however, regulated by other laws, such as those limiting them to calling during "reasonable hours." The right to not be pestered by creditors is only protected for debtors who file for bankruptcy protection.
Additional help for locating who is calling from mystery numbers:
Telemarketers, Collection Agencies and Other unknown numbers:
1110000000 1110000001 1110000002 1110000003 1110000004 1110000005 1110000006 1110000007 1110001010 1110313754 1110400400 1110404001 1110420100 1110420103
1110420110 1110420114 1110420121 1110420162 1110420222 1110440009 1110440044 1110440101 1110440102 1110440103 1110440104 1110440107 1110440109 1110440111
1110440130 1110440131 1110440153 1110440189 1110440286 1110440401 1110440406 1110440411 1110440423 1110440601 1110440602 1110440603 1110440604 1110440605
1110440606 1110440611 1110450400 1110470100 1110470200 1110470220 1110470400 1110470500 1110471112 1110474001 1110477623 1110480200 1110480400 1110484000
1110484001 1110484003 1110484800 1110488000 1110509099 1110509357 1110615323 1111111000 1111111107 1111111109 1111111110 1111111111 1111111112 1111111113
1111111115 1111111116 1111111117 1111111302 1111111441 1111112244 1111114567 1111115533 1111122222 1111161111 1111177111 1111221111 1111234567 1111300100
1111301000 1111301111 1111302000 1111440601 1111470400 1111470500 1111470600 1111484700 1111487400 1111487600 1111487759 1111487779 1111487799 1111505099
1111509064 1111509099 1111509405 1111509412 1111611000 1111661111 1111771111 1112041111 1112112211 1112223333 1112287233 1112345678 1112347954 1112391000
1113011000 1113020000 1113071131 1113456783 1113941882 1114282179 1114534453 1114685263 1114700400 1114800444 1114877990 1114877991 1114877992 1114877993
1114877994 1114877995 1114877996 1114877997 1115090647 1115501041 1117302202 1117302268 1117302372 1117775555 1117939831 1118000222 1118675309 1119444230
111-000-0000 111-000-0001 111-000-0002 111-000-0003 111-000-0004 111-000-0005 111-000-0006 111-000-0007 111-000-1010 111-031-3754 111-040-0400 111-040-4001 111-042-0100 111-042-0103
111-042-0110 111-042-0114 111-042-0121 111-042-0162 111-042-0222 111-044-0009 111-044-0044 111-044-0101 111-044-0102 111-044-0103 111-044-0104 111-044-0107 111-044-0109 111-044-0111
111-044-0130 111-044-0131 111-044-0153 111-044-0189 111-044-0286 111-044-0401 111-044-0406 111-044-0411 111-044-0423 111-044-0601 111-044-0602 111-044-0603 111-044-0604 111-044-0605
111-044-0606 111-044-0611 111-045-0400 111-047-0100 111-047-0200 111-047-0220 111-047-0400 111-047-0500 111-047-1112 111-047-4001 111-047-7623 111-048-0200 111-048-0400 111-048-4000
111-048-4001 111-048-4003 111-048-4800 111-048-8000 111-050-9099 111-050-9357 111-061-5323 111-111-1000 111-111-1107 111-111-1109 111-111-1110 111-111-1111 111-111-1112 111-111-1113
111-111-1115 111-111-1116 111-111-1117 111-111-1302 111-111-1441 111-111-2244 111-111-4567 111-111-5533 111-112-2222 111-116-1111 111-117-7111 111-122-1111 111-123-4567 111-130-0100
111-130-1000 111-130-1111 111-130-2000 111-144-0601 111-147-0400 111-147-0500 111-147-0600 111-148-4700 111-148-7400 111-148-7600 111-148-7759 111-148-7779 111-148-7799 111-150-5099
111-150-9064 111-150-9099 111-150-9405 111-150-9412 111-161-1000 111-166-1111 111-177-1111 111-204-1111 111-211-2211 111-222-3333 111-228-7233 111-234-5678 111-234-7954 111-239-1000
111-301-1000 111-302-0000 111-307-1131 111-345-6783 111-394-1882 111-428-2179 111-453-4453 111-468-5263 111-470-0400 111-480-0444 111-487-7990 111-487-7991 111-487-7992 111-487-7993
111-487-7994 111-487-7995 111-487-7996 111-487-7997 111-509-0647 111-550-1041 111-730-2202 111-730-2268 111-730-2372 111-777-5555 111-793-9831 111-800-0222 111-867-5309 111-944-4230
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269 270 276 281 289 300 301 302 303 304 305 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320
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815 816 817 818 819 830 831 832 843 845 847 850 856 858 859 860 862 863 864 865 866 869 870 876 877
886 887 888 899 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 925 928
936 937 940 941 945 949 951 952 954 956 970 971 972 973 978 979 981 983 985 989 994 998 999