Robocalls

If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it's a robocall. Robocalls trying to sell you something are almost always illegal. Many are also probably scams. Here’s what to know about robocalls and what to do about them.

• Are Robocalls Legal?
• Why Do I Get So Many Robocalls?
• What If a Robocall Seems To Be From the Government?
• Are All Robocalls Illegal?
• How Do I Get Fewer Robocalls?
• What’s the Best Thing To Do If I Get An Illegal Robocall?
• What Else Is the FTC Doing About Robocalls?
• Why Doesn't the Do Not Call Registry Stop Robocalls?

Are Robocalls Legal?

If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it's a robocall. A robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless the company trying to sell you something got written permission, directly from you, to call you that way. To get your permission, the company has to be clear it’s asking to call you with robocalls. The company also can’t make you agree to the calls to get a product or service.

If you’re getting robocalls trying to sell you something, odds are the calls are illegal. Many are also probably scams.

Why Do I Get So Many Robocalls?

Scammers. It’s cheap and easy for them to make robocalls over the internet from anywhere in the world.

What If a Robocall Seems To Be From the Government?

Scammers make robocalls that say they’re from government agencies calling about your Social Security number, taxes, or Medicare. They say that if you don’t pay or you refuse to give them your personal information, something bad will happen or you’ll miss out on some government benefit. It’s a scam. 

If someone calls you out of the blue and insists you hand over personal information, wire money, put money on a gift card, use a payment app or send cryptocurrency, it’s a scam whether the caller says they’re from the government or a business. Many people report getting robocalls about extended car warranties, debt relief, or credit repair, too. Learn more about other common phone scams.

Don’t rely on your caller ID. It’s helpful when your caller ID labels a call as a potential scam. But not all scam calls will get flagged. And scammers can fake the name and number that shows up, making it look like a call is from a government agency like the Social Security Administration or a local number.

Are All Robocalls Illegal?

No. For example, messages that are purely informational or calls to collect a debt aren’t illegal (though robocalls that try to sell you services to lower your debt are illegal and are almost always scams).

Your state also might have other rules for robocalls.

How Do I Get Fewer Robocalls?

Call-blocking and call-labeling services can help you get fewer robocalls. The call-blocking or call-labeling option you choose will depend on whether you’re getting calls on a cell phone, traditional landline, or home phone that makes calls over the internet (VoIP).

See what services your phone carrier offers, and look online for expert reviews. For cell phones, also check out the reviews for different call-blocking apps in your app store.