How Do I Stop Getting Spam Calls?

Spam calls are a nuisance that plague nearly every American. Now that people carry cell phones practically everywhere, the problem has gotten even worse. Telemarketers know they can easily reach potential customers, even if it means inconveniencing the recipient.

You may feel powerless, but there are steps you can take to stop spam calls, or at least to curb the number you receive.

Are Spam Calls Legal?

It may feel like telemarketers call at any time of day. There are actually regulations limiting how and when a telemarketer can reach out to you. So if you receive spam calls outside of certain times, the caller may be breaking the law, and you may have legal recourse.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits businesses from placing telemarketing calls, texts, and faxes to people who do not consent to receive them. Additionally, businesses are prohibited from using autodialers to make the calls. If you received a robocall, it was likely placed on an autodialer and sent to many people at once. It also may have been illegal.

How Can I Avoid Getting Spam Calls?

There are a number of tips for how to stop spam calls, or at least to curb the number you get. One way is to join the National Do Not Call Registry. Because the TCPA prohibits businesses from calling individuals without their consent, by joining the National Do Not Call Registry, you are definitively withholding your consent to receive calls. 

How to Stop Spam Calls Once They Start?

If you are persistently being contacted by one number, a simple way to dodge the calls is to block the number. Unfortunately, some telemarketers use multiple numbers, so even if you block one number, you may still get calls from that telemarketer, says Digital Trends. 

Additionally, blocking just one or a few numbers does not stop spam calls, at least not all of them. The hard part about stopping spam calls is that once you pick up a spam call, you are likely to get more of them. By picking up the call, you are effectively telling the callers that your number is “live” and should be called again.

To avoid having your number register as live, you may want to start screening your calls. Robocalls will most likely be from an unknown number, so if you don’t pick up unknown numbers, you will be able to screen for unwanted spam calls.

These days, there are many ways to be in contact with someone, so if a person needs to get in contact with you for a non-telemarketing purpose, they will likely leave a voicemail, send a text, or write an email, which will allow you to verify their identity without picking up a call from an unknown number.

Can I Stop All Spam Calls?

Unfortunately, it is likely not possible to stop all spam calls. Some calls may be legal. Not all types of unwanted calls are prohibited, even if a number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Norton explains that charities, political candidates, survey companies, and debt collectors can still make calls to numbers on the list. The National Do Not Call Registry works mainly for sales calls, says Norton.

Additionally, some irritating calls may be from businesses with whom you have done businesses. Though these calls seem like spam, and may even be of a marketing nature, they may be legal. 

In many cases, customers may sign a consent form giving a business permission to send future calls and texts. During the course of business transactions, many businesses may seek consent to contact customers in the future. You can withdraw your consent, but this may be one reason why you are getting hit with so many spam calls from a few businesses.

Some businesses may make their consent forms hard to read or easy to miss. In other cases, businesses may try to make it seem like customers have to opt-in to a texting or call program. However, SimpleTexting states that businesses are not allowed to force customers to opt-in to receive messages.

Businesses can also use oral consent as permission to send you spam calls. You may not remember having given consent to receive calls, but this may be one of many reasons you may be receiving unexpected spam calls.

What Can I Do if I Am Still Getting Calls?

If you’ve already tried these tips to stop spam calls and you’re still receiving persistent spam calls, you may want to file a TCPA lawsuit against a telemarketer. The caller may be breaking the law by calling you, and you may have a legal claim. Additionally, the TCPA allows a call recipient to collect damages for each phone call, text, voicemail, or fax that violates the TCPA, either intentionally or unintentionally. So, you may be able to seek significant damages by filing a TCPA lawsuit with the help of an experienced lawyer.

Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were contacted on your cell phone by a company via an unsolicited text message (text spam) or prerecorded voice message (robocall), you may be eligible for compensation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.