It seems like every day when we receive phone calls from unwanted phone numbers. These calls may be telemarketers, they could be political robocalls, or even some type of criminal who’s trying to obtain your personal information. You’ve heard many times about how you need to protect your personal information on the internet yet sometimes we seem to let our guards down when getting a phone call. Also, with email, you use anti-virus and anti-spam programs so that you don’t receive spam and other unwanted email.
Today, with the advent of a the more global and computerized world, its imperative that you take these steps so that first you can reduce, if not eliminate, unwanted phone calls — but also, to preserve your personal privacy and sanity.
1) Register your number: Ensure that every phone number you have is registered with the FCC on their do not call list and update any new numbers you get. This includes cell phone numbers, home phone numbers, even work numbers. After you enter the number, telemarketers have 30 days to stop calling your phone number.
2) Ask Them to Stop: Some unwanted callers don’t abide by the do not call list. In fact, one high profile case made the news recently. They’ll still incessantly bother you to no end — I heard of one person who was receiving 10 calls a day for a week from the same caller — just tell them to stop. Here’s how: Politely** ask for the following information in order and write it down, name of company, name of person, ask them to put you on their do not call list, write down date and time they called. Hint: **Politeness helps get you the world, meanness will persuade people not to help. If they do keep calling see this.
3) File a complaint: This has two simple steps... First: The FCC’s do not call website is a good first stop if they call more than once (see link above). Unfortunately, the FCC’s website does not allow you to lookup the phone number of the caller to see who they are and what they’ve done to others. It seems like it may fall into a bureaucratic hole (possibly). Secondly: Use a reverse phone directory like CallCatalog.com to find out who they are and also post a visible complaint to help tell others who these people are.
CallCatalog.com is a reverse phone directory of unwanted phone calls that is updated by users like yourself You can file a complaint and also see what other people have experienced with these callers.