National do-not-call list hits 217 million phone numbers, FTC wants to stop illegal robocalls

The Federal Trade Commission says more than 217 million phone numbers are now on the national Do Not Call Registry. Today, the agency is hosting a public summit to address the issue of illegal prerecorded telemarketing calls, or "robocalls," which they have received a large numbers of consumer complaints about over the past year, even though robocalls have been illegal since 2009.

The total number of registered phone numbers on the do-not-call list is up more than 7.5 million from last year. The list has grown year over year since its inception in 2003.

Summit participants, including consumer groups, law enforcement, and the telemarketing and telecommunications industry, are exploring innovations that could be used to stop illegal calls, trace robocalls, and prevent wrongdoers from faking caller ID data.

You can add your number to the do-not-call list for free. To sign up call 888-382-1222 from the number you want removed, or visit National Do Not Call Registry.

If you answer the phone and hear a prerecorded sales pitch from a telemarketer it's probably an illegal robocall. Here's what you can do:

• Hang up. Don't press 1 to get an operator, and don't press any other number to get off the robocaller's list. According to the FTC, pressing a number will probably just lead to more robocalls.
  
• Consider calling your phone provider and asking it to block the number, but make sure to ask whether it charges for that service. Telemarketers change caller ID information easily and often, so it may not be worth paying the fee, says the FTC.

To report a robocall to the FTC visit the agency's Complaint Assistant, or call 1-877-382-4357.

If you happen to be in the market for a new home phone, check out our cordless phone Ratings to see which models have caller ID, as well as our cordless phone buying guide for other helpful features.

Previously:
FTC shuts down operation behind billions of 'robocalls'
FTC pursues telemarketers making illegal 'robocalls' to consumers on Do Not Call list

Source:
FTC Issues FY 2012 National Do Not Call Registry Data Book [FTC]

—Maggie Shader