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Home > Hot Topics > Expert: Consumers need to know steps for addressing unwanted calls, texts

Expert: Consumers need to know steps for addressing unwanted calls, texts

Source: AgriLife Today

People who are annoyed by robocalls coming to their landline and unwanted calls or texts to their mobile phone should know the steps to stop them. “If the number of unwanted or unknown calls you receive on your landline — provided you still have one — or your cell phone has been excessive and you’re tired of the disruption, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission offer some excellent consumer guidelines to address them,” said Nancy Granovsky, family economics specialist at College Station.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, robocalls and telemarketing calls are among their top consumer complaints. Per commission rules, anyone making a telephone solicitation call must provide their name, the name of the person or entity on whose behalf they are calling, and the phone number and address where that person or entity can be contacted.

To prevent unwanted calls Granovsky said the FCC and FTC provide some advice, which includes:

  • Registering on the Do Not Call registry at http://www.donotcall.gov  .
  • Contacting the phone company to see if they offer robocall-blocking technology. If they do, provide them with the numbers of those unwanted callers.
  • If the phone company does not offer robocall-blocking technology, consider buying a commercially available blocking device.
  • Telling unwanted callers not to call and writing down their number and when the request was made to not call again. If the calls continue, contact the FCC and make a complaint.
  • For unwanted calls on wireless phones, look into blocking apps offered through the mobile app store or marketplace.

To contact the FTC and report a complaint, call 1-888-382-1222 or go to the National Do Not Call Registry website .

“If you get a suspicious text message on your cell from an unrecognized number, whatever you do, do not text back or click on any embedded link,” she said. “Report it to your phone provider and to the FTC at 1-888-82-1222 or http://ftc.gov/complaint .

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