How to Try To Stop Robo-Calls

From an article by Brandon Ballenger at LINK

Personally I am convinced that with all the technology available to these rude, yes I call them rude, people there is no way to completely stop them but some of the stuff in here is worth the effort.-Ed

Annoying, but not illegal. Even if you’re on the National Do Not Call Registry — which threatens telemarketers with fines of up to $16,000 per call — you can still receive robo-calls from certain organizations such as companies you do business with, political campaigns, non-profits, debt collectors and survey companies.

(No outfit out there is allowed to call your cell phone for any reason unless you have given them permission but if you think that stops them think again.  I get calls to my cell all the time. Assign specific ringtones to your contacts and record a silence and assign that as your regular ringtone.  That way unknown callers (spam calls) will not interfere with your day.

The article lists a few things you can do that might help relieve your frustrations:

1.If it is a pre-recorded message, try pressing star-pound-zero (*#0) on your phone. This could disrupt the call, while an article on productivity blog Lifehacker says pressing the pound key will get you taken off that caller’s list altogether.

2.Sign up at StopPoliticalCalls.org, a service run by non-profit group Citizens for Civil Discourse. It's a registry similar to the national Do Not Call list, but specifically aimed at discouraging political campaigns. There’s no law backing it, but so far they have commitments to cut the calls from several political campaigns. You can get put on the list for free, though there are paid options as well.

3.Of course there is the National Do Not Call Registry. It’s free, and your number is never taken off the list. This should stop all telemarketing calls. It will work for your wired landline phone number and with your cell phone number.

4.If you’re still getting calls after being on the Do Not Call registry for a month, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission which manages the list. Sometimes enough complaints can get policy changed — that’s how most robo-calling got banned in 2009. If the call comes from an identifiable business, you should also report it to the Better Business Bureau.

***added:  NEVER pres 1, 9 or anything they tell you to be taken off their calling list.  It is merely something for you to think they will do something about it.  Do not argue with them or challenge them as they will put you on a list to be called just to bother you.  Most of these spam scam calls are generated from a computer that creates a phony number so if you try to call it back you get a this number is disconnected/no longer in service message.  Just file a complaint as outlined below)

I really can't emphasize the following too much. After my wife made a purchase at a chain store for our granddaughter I endured a weekly Friday afternoon robo-call for more than a year from them. Since then we do not give out our phone numbers or especially our email addresses. It helps even though they can get your phone number with little effort but why make it any easier for them. Even if you contact them it takes a long time before you are off their contact list.-Ed
5. Read the terms and conditions for your purchases carefully. Buried in those agreements might be a clause agreeing to these annoying calls — and robo-calling isn’t illegal if you’ve opted in to receive it from someone, or if you’re already doing business with them. But if you’re getting calls from these people, you can still stop it by specific request. Call them and tell them to take you off their list — the Federal Trade Commission requires they comply. Keep a record of the date you make the request and follow up with the FTC if the business keeps calling.

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/10/29/5-tips-to-stop-those-annoying-automated-phone-calls/