Frequently Asked Questions

A. What is the Do Not Call Registry?

The Do Not Call Registry is a tool that you can use to cut down on the number of telemarketing calls you receive. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to make sure that the Do Not Call Registry works for you, by:

• Helping you understand how the Do Not Call Registry functions;

• Letting you know how you can add your phone number to the Registry; and

• Ensuring that telemarketers follow the rules - or face the consequences.

The Do Not Call Registry is a list of telephone numbers that most telemarketers are not allowed to call. The list is updated regularly, as more people add their phone numbers. Most telemarketers are required to purchase the Do Not Call list on a regular basis and make certain that they do not call the phone numbers on the list.

As explained below, the Do Not Call Registry will not stop all telemarketing calls to your phone number. But it will decrease the number substantially. If you are interested in adding your number to the Do Not Call Registry, use the instructions below.

B. How much will it cost to put my number on the Do Not Call Registry?

Nothing. The Do Not Call Registry is a free service. As explained below, you can put your number on the Do Not Call Registry over the Internet or over the telephone, using a toll-free number.

C. If I add my phone number to the Do Not Call Registry, will that put an IMMEDIATE end to ALL telemarketing calls?

No. Under the rules governing the Do Not Call Registry, there is a waiting period of 1 to 3 months between the time you put your number on the registry and the time certain telemarketers are prohibited from calling you. For example, if you register by August 31, 2003, the first days telemarketers must stop calling you is October 1, 2003. And you should know that even after the waiting period, some telemarketers will still be allowed to call you. These issues are addressed in greater detail below.

For more information, please refer to Question L ("After I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, how long will I have to wait before I start receiving fewer telemarketing calls?"); and Question M ("If I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, will that stop ALL telemarketing calls?")

D. How can I put my phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?

There are two ways you can add your phone number to the Do Not Call Registry - over the Internet (starting immediately) or over the phone (starting July 7, 2003). You do NOT have to register both ways. Either way will work.

E. How do I put my phone number on the Registry OVER THE INTERNET?

Starting immediately, you can put your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry using the Internet, by following these three steps.

• On the Internet, go to http://www.donotcall.gov/ and follow the written instructions on your computer screen.

• When you go to this website, you will have to provide the following information:

  • The telephone number(s) that you would like to put on the Do Not Call Registry. You will be allowed to provide up to three separate numbers.

  • A valid e-mail address that the Federal Trade Commission can use to confirm your desire to put your phone number(s) on the Do Not Call Registry.

• After you provide all of the information requested and exit the website, you will receive a follow-up e-mail at the e-mail address you provided. This follow-up e-mail will contain instructions that will allow you to confirm your registration. You must follow these instructions WITHIN 72 HOURS (three days) of the time you first visited the Do Not Call website.

  • If you follow the instructions within 72 hours, the number(s) you provided will be put on the Do Not Call Registry.

  • If you do NOT follow the instructions within 72 hours, the number(s) you provided will NOT be put on the Do Not Call Registry.

F. How do I put my number on the registry OVER THE PHONE?

You can put your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry over the phone starting July 7, 2003 by following these three steps:

• Call 1-1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236). This is a toll-free number. You must make this call from the phone number that you want to put on the Do Not Call Registry. For example, if you want to put your home phone number on the Do Not Call Registry, you must call from your home phone - not from your work phone or your cell phone.

• When you call the toll-free number, a recorded voice will ask you to enter the phone number that you would like to put on the Do Not Call Registry, using the telephone keypad.

• After you enter the number, a computer will check that the number you entered is the same number you are calling from.

  • If there IS a match between the number you entered and the number you are calling from, your phone number will be placed on the Do Not Call Registry.

  • If there is NOT a match between the number you entered and the number you are calling from, your phone number will NOT be placed on the Do Not Call Registry.

G. How long does my phone number stay on the Do Not Call Registry?

Your phone number stays on the Do Not Call Registry for five years, at which point you will have an opportunity to renew your registration. However, there are two things that could cause your phone number to drop off of the Do Not Call Registry before five years have passed:

• First, if you move from one residence to another, your number will automatically drop off the Do Not Call Registry. You must re-register after you move, even if you keep the same telephone number.

• Second, you have the right and the ability to take your number off of the Do Not Call Registry at any time.

H. If I have two separate phone lines at home, can I put them both on the Do Not Call Registry?

Yes. If you register over the phone, you will have to make two separate phone calls to the Do Not Call Registry, one from each phone line. If you register over the Internet, you can put both phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry at the same time.

I. Can I put my cell phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?

Yes. If you register over the phone, you will have to call the Do Not Call Registry from your cell phone.

J. Can I put my business phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?

No. The Do Not Call rules prohibit telemarketing calls to home and cell phone numbers, but not to business phone numbers. Therefore, even if you register a business phone number, telemarketers are still allowed to call that number.

K. Can I put the phone numbers of other people on the Do Not Call Registry? For example, can I put my parents' phone numbers on the registry?

The Federal Trade Commission has provided the following answer to this question:

If you register over the phone, the only number you can put on the Do Not Call Registry is the number you are calling from, which (presumably) is your own phone number. Therefore, it is not technically possible for you to put the phone numbers of other people on the Do Not Call Registry if you register over the phone.

If you register over the Internet, you can put up to three separate phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry at a time. Therefore, it is possible for you to put the phone numbers of other people on the Do Not Call Registry. Before you do this, however, you should be aware of three things:

• First, it is unlawful for you to put the phone numbers of other people on the Do Not Call Registry without their permission.

• Second, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) strongly discourages you from putting the phone numbers of other people on the Do Not Call Registry, even with their permission. It is relatively easy for each individual person to put his or her telephone number on the Do Not Call Registry either over the phone or over the Internet, and the FTC would strongly prefer that each person take this action in order to avoid miscommunication or confusion.

• Third, there is an automatic limit on the number of phone numbers that can be registered using a specific e-mail address. The FTC has not said what this limit is, but it has been put in place to avoid mass registration of persons who may not wish to have their phone numbers placed on the Do Not Call Registry.

L. After I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, how long will I have to wait before I start receiving fewer telemarketing calls?

Under the rules implementing the Do Not Call Registry, there is a waiting period of one to three months between the time you put your number on the registry and the time certain telemarketers are prohibited from calling you. To be more specific:

• If you put your number on the Do Not Call Registry by August 31, 2003, then most telemarketers will be prohibited from calling you starting on October 1, 2003.

• If you put your number on the Do Not Call Registry after August 31, 2003, then most telemarketers will be prohibited from calling you starting three months after the date you register.

Under these rules, the ban on placing calls to numbers on the Registry does not take effect until October 1, 2003 at the earliest. October 1, 2003 is the first date that most telemarketers will be prohibited from calling phone numbers placed on the registry by August 31, 2003.

M. If I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, will that stop ALL telemarketing calls?

No. Under the rules implementing the Do Not Call Registry, even if you put your number on the Do Not Call Registry and wait the required number of months, some companies and organizations will still be allowed to call you. Specifically, the following types of companies and organizations can continue to call you:

• Charities.

• Political candidates and organizations.

• an established business relationship with you.

• Individual companies that have obtained your explicit consent to receive telemarketing calls from those companies.

N. Is there something I can do to cut down on telemarketing calls from companies and organizations that are still allowed to call me even after I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry?

Yes, there is something you can do, but it will take some effort on your part. When these companies and organizations call you, you can ask to be put on their company-specific Do Not Call lists. In other words, you can instruct each specific company, one-by-one, to put you on the individual Do Not Call list maintained by that specific company. Once you have told a specific company that you do not want to receive any more calls, that company is prohibited from calling you again - unless you later change your mind or do business with the company.

O. Even if I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, companies I do business with can still call me? Can you explain that?

Yes. Under the Do Not Call rules, even if you put your number on the Do Not Call Registry and wait the required number of months, a company can still call you if you are a current customer or if you have an established business relationship with the company.

Such a company can call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase, delivery, or payment to the company. For example, if you order jeans from a mail-order company, and they are delivered on January 1, 2004, that company can continue to call you through July 1, 2005. However, you can still instruct the company to stop calling you, and your specific instruction will "override" the fact that you are a current customer or have an established business relationship.

P. What if I WANT to receive telemarketing calls from certain companies even though I have put my phone number on the Do Not Call Registry?

If you put your number on the Do Not Call Registry, you can still give your permission to certain companies to make telemarketing calls to you. Your specific permission for those companies to call you will "override" the fact that you have put your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry. To do this, you will have to contact each company individually that you would like to receive telemarketing calls from.

Q. Do the Do Not Call rules apply to telemarketers overseas?

Yes.

R. What about callers that claim to be taking a survey?

Even if you put your name on the Do Not Call Registry, companies or organizations can still call you if their sole purpose is to take a survey. But companies or organizations that want to conduct surveys AND sell goods or services must abide by the Do Not Call rules.

S. Who will go after companies and organizations that violate the rules of the Do Not Call Registry?

In addition to the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the Federal Communications Commission also will enforce the rules of the national Do Not Call Registry. will enforce the rules of the Do Not Call Registry. Violators are subject to fines of up to $11,000 per violation.

T. How can I complain about telemarketers that violate the rules of the Do Not Call Registry?

Although many telemarketers will abide by the rules of the Do Not Call Registry, some will not. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will be counting on you and other Illinois residents to report telemarketers who break the rules. If you believe that you have received a telemarketing call in violation of the Do Not Call rules, you should (1) make sure there is a violation, (2) record the phone number of the violator, and (3) report the violation. Here is more detail on each of these steps:

• FIRST, make sure there is a violation. Remember that there is a "waiting period" between the date you put your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry and the date certain telemarketers must stop calling you. Also, keep in mind that certain telemarketers are allowed to call you even after the waiting period ends.

• For more information, please refer to Question L ("After I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, how long will I have to wait before I start receiving fewer telemarketing calls?"); and Question M ("If I put my number on the Do Not Call Registry, will that stop ALL telemarketing calls?")

• SECOND, record the phone number of the violator - the telemarketer who calls you in violation of the rules. The authorities cannot investigate Do Not Call complaints without the phone number of the telemarketer. If possible, you should also try to record the name of the person calling and the name of the company he or she is calling from.

• THIRD, report the violation. Starting on October 1, 2003, you can file a complaint with the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan or with the Federal Trade Commission. Both authorities will establish and publicize the procedures for reporting violations of the Do Not Call rules well in advance of October 1, 2003 - the earliest date that a violation of the Do Not Call rules can take place.

U. Do the Do Not Call rules include any other protections that I should know about?

Yes. In addition to prohibiting most telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, the new Do Not Call rules give consumers certain additional protections, including:

• Protections against unauthorized billing. Before billing charges to your credit card account, telemarketers must get your express informed consent to be charged and charged to a specific amount.

• Protections against "free-to-pay conversions." A "free-to-pay conversion" occurs when a telemarketer has your account information before the call and offers you goods or services on a free trial basis before charging you automatically later on. The new rules say that a telemarketer must get your permission to use a particular account number, ask you to confirm the number by repeating the last four digits, and, for your protection, record the entire phone transaction.

• Protections against "abandoned calls." Starting October 1, 2003, telemarketers will be required to connect their call to a sales representative within two seconds of the moment you pick up the phone and say hello. This will reduce the number of "dead air" or hang-up calls you get from telemarketers. These calls result from the use of automatic dialing equipment that sometimes reaches more numbers than there are available sales representatives. In addition, when the telemarketer doesn't have a representative standing by, a recorded message must play to let you know who's calling and the number they're calling from.

• Protections against anonymous telemarketing calls. Beginning January 29, 2004, telemarketers must transmit their telephone number and if possible, their name, to your caller ID service. This will protect your privacy, increase accountability on the telemarketer's part, and help in law enforcement efforts.

V. Aren't there any rules that telemarketers have to follow RIGHT NOW, even before the new Do Not Call rules take effect on October 1?

Yes, there are. Here are some of the most important rules that apply to telemarketers right now, even before the Do Not Call rules take effect:

• Telemarketers may not call before you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.

• Telemarketers must tell you who they represent and let you know that they are making a sales call or seeking money for charity. They must tell you this BEFORE they make any sales pitch.

• Telemarketers cannot lie to you, deceive you, or defraud you. They must disclose all material information about the goods and services they are offering and the terms of the sale.

• Telemarketers cannot transmit pre-recorded messages to you or your answering machine. Pre-recorded messages are unlawful. Telemarketers must speak to you in person.

W. How can I complain about telemarketers who violate the current rules, before the new Do Not Call rules take effect on October 1?

You may file a complaint by contacting the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan at any one of the following toll-free telephone numbers:

1-800-386-5438 Chicago Consumer Hotline 1-800-964-3013 TTY	1-800-243-0618 Springfield Consumer Hotline 1-877-844-5461 TTY	1-800-243-5377 Senior Hotline 1-800-964-3013 TTY
Spanish Language Hotline: 1-866-310-8398



Return to Home Page