Placing a landline and/or cellphone number on the national Do Not Call Registry can help to reduce telemarketing calls, but it may not stop all unwanted calls.
Federal statutes require businesses to access the national Do Not Call Registry, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, and to “scrub” – or remove – registered numbers from their calling lists.
Registration on the national Do Not Call Registry does not expire. Once your number is registered, it remains on the list unless you remove it. According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than
258 million phone numbers are registered as of September 2025.
The Do Not Call Registry does
not include any automated call-blocking technology. Instead, businesses covered by the law are required to check the registry before making calls.
If you have registered and are still receiving unwanted calls, some may be from organizations exempt from the national Do Not Call Registry, including political groups, charities, debt collectors and survey callers. In addition, companies with which you have an existing business relationship or that have your express written permission to call still may cause your phone to ring.
If you want to help limit these exempt calls, ask the caller to put your number on the organization’s internal do-not-call list. Most legitimate organizations will have their own list, even if they are exempt from having to check the national Do Not Call Registry.
Consumers are often frustrated with the number of calls they get – most of the time, those calls are made by scammers. Scammers simply defy the Do Not Call law – and other consumer protection laws, for that matter. Do not respond to these calls; and, if you are on the Do Not Call Registry, consider it a red flag if you receive an unwanted call.
Those on the Do Not Call list who receive calls should take the following precautions:
- If you receive an unwanted robocall with an automated message, do not push any buttons – even to “talk to a representative” or “opt out” – because that may only confirm to the caller that your phone number is valid and working. And the result may be that, instead of getting fewer phone calls, you receive even more.
- If you receive multiple calls from the same phone number, call your phone provider for details about any available call-blocking features. In addition, third-party services may help to stop robocalls.
- Share your personal information – your name or phone number, for example – less often. Some companies may compile and sell your personal information. If a company requests such information, ask why the company needs it and how the company will protect it.
- Let unrecognized calls go to voicemail or to an answering machine that you monitor. When in doubt, just don’t answer!
To sign up for the national Do Not Call Registry, visit
www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222 from the phone you wish to add to the nationwide list.
To report a scam, unfair business practice, or businesses not complying with the Do Not Call Registry, contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.