Unwanted Calls and Texts: What You Can Do

This guide explains what you can do in plain English and gives you a step-by-step plan.

Your main rights

1. No robocalls or robotexts to your cell phone without consent. A caller who uses an autodialer or an artificial or prerecorded voice needs your prior consent to call your cell phone, except in an emergency. For marketing, the FCC requires your written consent, which can be electronic.
2. No prerecorded marketing calls to your home phone without written consent, with limited exceptions.
3. No telemarketing to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, unless you have a recent business relationship with the seller or gave written permission.
4. No telemarketing at night. Federal rules prohibit telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., your local time; some states have an earlier cutoff (e.g., 8 p.m.). Some states set an earlier cutoff, often 8 p.m.
5. You can say stop at any time. You can revoke consent by any reasonable means. Replying "stop," "quit," "end," "revoke," "opt out," "cancel," or "unsubscribe" to a text counts automatically. Callers must honor your request within 10 business days.
6. Artificial intelligence (AI) voices count as artificial voices. The FCC ruled in 2024 that calls using AI-generated voices are subject to the same rules as prerecorded calls.

Step-by-step plan

Step 1: Register your numbers. Add your home and cell numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (from the number you want to register). It is free. Your registration does not expire. The FTC says it can take up to 31 days for sales calls to stop.

Step 2: Tell callers to stop. On a live call, say that you want to be placed on the company's do-not-call list. Reply STOP to texts. Under the FCC's rules, each telemarketer must keep a company-specific do-not-call list and honor requests within 10 business days.

Step 3: Do not engage with scams. Do not press buttons, click links, or share personal information. The FCC warns that scammers often spoof caller ID to look local or official. Hang up and call the company back at a number you trust.

Step 4: Use blocking tools. Ask your phone company about call-blocking and labeling tools. Most carriers let you forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM).

Step 5: Keep records. Take screenshots of texts to keep a record. Write down the date, time, number, company, and what the caller said. Save voicemails. These records are important if you have to complain or sue.

Step 6: Report it. File do-not-call and scam complaints with the FTC at DoNotCall.gov or ReportFraud.ftc.gov. File robocall, robotext, and spoofing complaints with the FCC at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. Your state attorney general's office also accepts complaints.

Calls the registry does not stop

The National Do Not Call Registry covers sales calls. According to the FTC, the registry does not stop:

• political calls;
• charitable calls;
• debt collection calls;
• informational calls, such as appointment reminders or flight updates;
• surveys.

Business numbers are not covered. Even exempt callers still need your consent before using an autodialer or prerecorded voice to call your cell phone. A for-profit telemarketer calling for a charity must honor your request not to be called again on that charity's behalf. Tell any caller you want no more calls.

Can you sue?

Yes. The TCPA lets individuals sue in federal or state court. The Supreme Court confirmed the availability of both court systems in Mims v. Arrow Financial Services (2012).

• Robocall or robotext claims (§ 227(b)): $500 per violation or your actual loss, whichever is greater. A court may triple that, up to $1,500, if the violation was willful or knowing.
• Do-not-call claims (§ 227(c)(5)): if you received more than one call in a 12-month period from or on behalf of the same company in violation of the rules, you may recover up to $500 per violation, trebled for willful or knowing violations.

One caution about texts. In July 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin) ruled in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services that text messages are not "telephone calls" for do-not-call suits under § 227(c)(5). Other courts treat texts as calls for the purposes of the robocall provision, § 227(b), and some district courts outside the Seventh Circuit allow do-not-call claims over texts. Where you live can affect your claim.

Many state laws also let you sue. Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia are examples. See our state laws guide.

What this means for you

Register, say stop, keep records, and report. If the calls continue, talk to a consumer protection lawyer licensed in your state. Many handle TCPA cases.