258 Million Numbers and 2.6 Million Complaints: What the FTC's Do Not Call Report Tells Us

The latest one came out January 6, 2026. And some of the numbers are eye-popping.

The big numbers

According to the FTC:

• Consumers had placed more than 258 million phone numbers on the Registry as of the end of fiscal year 2025. That's up more than 4.8 million from the year before.
• The FTC got more than 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year 2025, an increase from the previous year.
• Most of those complaints were about robocalls, not live telemarketing.
• Since the Registry started in 2003, the FTC has filed 173 lawsuits against 570 companies and 449 individuals, collecting nearly $400 million.

Read that again. 258 million numbers. That's a whole lot of people saying "please don't."

What people are complaining about

The most commonly reported unwanted telemarketing calls in fiscal year 2025, per the FTC:

1. Debt reduction schemes
2. Imposters (pretending to be government, a business, or family and friends)
3. Medical and prescription inquiries
4. Energy, solar and utilities
5. Home improvement and cleaning services

If you work in any of those verticals, I'm looking at you. Lovingly. But I'm looking at you. Am I right?

Here's the thing ... complaints ticked up

The FTC says complaints about illegal telemarketing robocalls dropped steadily from fiscal year 2017 through 2024. In 2025, they ticked back up. Still way below the 2017 peak, though.

The FTC credits several enforcement strategies for that long decline. That includes going after Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers that help illegal calls and suing dialing platforms and soundboard technology providers that supplied the software used to blast consumers.

So it's not just the guy making calls. It's the tools and the pipes too.

The tech side

The report also covers the FTC's work with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on caller ID spoofing, plus support for call blocking and call filtering. All major voice providers now offer those tools to some or all customers.

The FTC also releases a daily list of Do Not Call and robocall complaints, including caller ID numbers and the dates and times of the calls. Several firms told the FTC that data has made them better at spotting abusive and fraudulent calls.

Think about what that means. If your number generates complaints, that data goes out every single day. Into the analytics engines that decide whether your calls get labeled spam.

Why should you care?

Because complaints are not just a legal risk. They're a business risk. They feed spam labels. Spam labels tank answer rates. Bad answer rates kill campaigns. It's simple math.

And every one of those 258 million numbers is somebody who has told you, in advance, what they want.

What to do this week

It's not rocket science.

• Scrub against the Registry. Every list, every time, on schedule.
• Know your vertical's risk. If you're in debt relief, health, solar or home services, assume extra attention.
• Watch your complaint signals. Spam labels and dropping answer rates are early warnings.
• Vet your tools. The FTC has sued dialing platforms and soundboard providers. Use vendors who take compliance seriously.
• Keep consent records for anyone on the Registry you do call.

Look, the Registry isn't your enemy. It's a list of people telling you not to waste your money calling them. Listen to them, OK?