Does The ‘Do Not Call’ List Even Work Anymore?

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When the National Do Not Call list was first introduced in 2003, most companies abided by the rules. That meant you’d finally get some relief from those pesky phone calls that always seemed to interrupt dinner.

At least it was nice while it lasted. Because these days, it’s just not that easy.

It was around the year 2010 when telemarketing calls became more of a nuisance, even if you were positive your number was registered on the Do Not Call list.

But even as a member of the list, it doesn’t always guarantee you’re not going to get a strange number lighting up your phone to inform you that you’ve won a free cruise or have been selected to for some “unique” opportunity.

RELATED: 9 Apps To Help You Defeat Unwanted Robocalls For Good

Why Did It Stop Working?

While the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act says the list is still effective for some phone numbers, it won’t prevent calls that are coming in from other countries. Around 2010, when the internet allowed people to make international calls at an astounding low rate, many phone spammers looked at this as an opportunity to relocate outside of the United States. By using voice-over-internet protocol technology, calling with prerecorded messages became not only easy, but cheap.

Then there’s “call spoofing,”where telemarketers input fake caller ID numbers to make you think they’re calling  from somewhere here in the U.S. They’ve even found ways to input your local area code, leading you to believe you’re getting a call from someone familiar.

So while the Do Not Call list is effective for law-abiding businesses within the U.S., it isn’t so helpful when it comes to the clever phone scammers that are located in other countries.

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“It’s difficult to identify who’s actually placing the call because of the call spoofing,” Maureen Mahoney, a public policy fellow for Consumers Union’s End Robocalls campaign, told Mental Floss. “So that also makes it difficult to track these people down.”

Authorities do eventually catch up with some of the foreign telemarketing operations, but a lot of times the money they’ve scammed from consumers has long been spent.

In turn, American consumers have lost billions to phone scams. Yes, billions.

Companies such as Time Warner, AT&T and T-Mobile are now offering their customers a service to help block these annoying calls, but many companies say they don’t have the resources available to provide their customers with such a service or charge an extra fee.

So What’s Next?

The next time an unknown number comes up on your caller ID, don’t answer it. Sometimes just simply answering the phone is all a telemarketer needs.

If you do answer, it’s advised to just hang up.

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And if you get a call with a Washington D.C. area code and the person says they work for the IRS and needs money from you immediately, don’t believe that either.

You can also report these calls to the Federal Communications Commission either by phone or mail.

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About the Author
Megan Fenno
Freelance Writer. Accessory Designer. Blogger. Digital Content Producer. Wife. Lover of Cincinnati, Ohio and mom to a 6 year-old stud.

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