Do Not Call Registry For Cell Phones

I recently received a message telling me "important information about putting your phone on the cell phone Do Not Call list."  I hate spam phone calls, so I did a little investigating about this do not call registry for mobile phones.

Turns out, there is no such thing.

I have no idea why this sort of misinformation would even exist, but it does.  Here's the truth:  the regular National Do Not Call Registry covers cell phones, too.  Even if it didn't, you shouldn't get a ton of spam calls to a cell phone. Federal law prohibits the use of automatic dialers or calls made with artificial or prerecorded messages when making calls to cell phones.  (Wonder how you report THAT?)

So, what do you do if you don't want people spam calling your cell phone.  Honestly, you'll never be able to stop it completely.  Some calls come from people who have a legitimate reason to call, even if the reason of the call is kind of spammy.  (I'm thinking of certain companies with whom I do business who call to try to sell me other stuff.)  Some spam calls are coming from people who don't know it is a cell phone number.  And some people just don't care about the law or the Do Not Call registry.

However, you can cut down on the amount of spam you receive by registering your cell phone on the Do Not Call registry list.  The easiest way to do this is to call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone that you are registering.  If you prefer, you can also register online at www.donotcall.gov.  This requires that you respond to a confirmation email.  You only have to register once.  The registration remains in place until you remove it or until the number is deactivated.

Spam phone calls are a nuisance, and they can cost you money if your cell phone plan charges you by the call.  Registering with the National Do Not Call registry can cut down on some of those spam calls.  That's a good thing!