On the Do Not Call list and still getting calls

Does the Do Not Call Registry still work?

The registry tells law-abiding telemarketers which personal numbers they should avoid calling. Illegal callers can ignore that instruction. Continued scam calls therefore do not by themselves establish that your registration disappeared.

If the question is whether your number is registered, use the registration and verification guide. That page handles the registration task. Repeated registration is not the route for investigating a scammer or choosing a call-blocking service.

Who can help me stop repeated spam calls?

Start with your phone provider for the blocking and labeling features available on your service. The choices depend on whether you use a mobile phone, internet-based home phone, or traditional landline. The FTC’s call-blocking guide explains those categories and links to additional resources.

Blocking can stop some calls from reaching you. Labeling identifies a suspected unwanted call so you can decide whether to answer. These features have trade-offs: a filter can also affect calls you want. Check the provider’s options and any cost before choosing a service.

Who do I report unwanted calls to?

The FTC directs people who did not lose money and want to report a call to the unwanted-call reporting channel at DoNotCall.gov. That channel supplies information for enforcement and call-blocking work. It is a different task from adding a number to the registry.

If you lost money to a phone scam, or have information about the company or scammer who called, the FTC directs the report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Choose the channel based on the incident; a routine call complaint and a scam-loss report have different purposes.

Why do the calls look like local or government numbers?

Caller ID can be spoofed. A displayed local number or government agency name does not identify the actual caller. The FTC describes scammers impersonating agencies such as Social Security or the IRS, including threats tied to payment or personal information.

An unwanted-call report can still be useful when the displayed number may be fake. The FTC uses patterns across reports to help identify illegal callers. Treat the displayed identity as information about the call rather than proof that the named agency placed it.

How do I stop spam calls permanently?

The FTC does not describe registration as a guarantee that scam calls will stop. Phone-provider filtering addresses incoming calls, and FTC reporting supports enforcement and blocking data. Use the route that matches the problem instead of expecting either one to settle every future call.