What Can You Do to Stop Wrong Number Callers from Calling Your Phone

[L-1]

My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: California

I'm not sure how to describe this or if there is any legal relief to my issue, but I'll throw it out there to pick your brains and see if any of you have any idea how to deal with it.

I've had my cell phone number for 20 years now. I've been very protective of my number and have been lucky not to be bothered by telemarketers.

Over the past three months I've started receiving a large number of calls on my cellphone for a particular individual I've never heard of. Most of the calls seem to come from telemarketers trying to sell solar panels and home construction. The volume of calls has become an annoyance both because I am a night person and daytime calls wake me up, and because they interrupt and take me away from other activities when I am awake.

I did an internet search on the individual in question and found a listing showing that he lives on the other side of the country, but showing that he has two telephone numbers, one being mine and a second being in the next county. I am guessing that somehow this information got sold to mailing lists, and hucksters are now calling me looking to sell him their goods.

My first impulse was to remedy the problem by changing my phone number. But I have had it for 22 years, use it for both personal and business and it is probably in the books of over 400 personal and business contacts. Trying to figure out who all those people are and make a phone number change notification is going to be a nightmare. Even then, if I change my number I will have to deal with all the people calling whoever used to have the new number I am issued.

So, my question to the collective wisdom out there is this: How do I remove my phone number from the listing for someone else, on all the personal data lists that are being sold out there to telemarketers, mailing houses, etc., and published on the internet?

[flyingron]

You hunt down whoever the source of that listing is and convince them to correct the error. Other than that, there's not a whole lot you can do. Believe me, i sympathize. I started getting calls one evening and it turned out a charity telethon had given out my number by mistake. I just changed my outgoing message. The worse thing that can happen is when one of the bottom dwelling collection agencies gets your number as a listing for one of the deadbeats. The FDCPA protects the deadbeat and not the innocent bystander (that one I had to switch the number to get away from).

[budwad]

You should place your cell number on the Federal Do Not Call List. They register cell phones. The next time someone calls you tell them that this number is on the list and if they call again you will file a complaint. I have good luck stopping marketing calls that way.

https://www.donotcall.gov/

[cbg]

How does another individual have your phone number?

[BooRennie]

People mistype phone numbers, as well as email addresses (I have an email address that people all over the globe thinks is theirs). My advice is to block the number(s) that keep calling you.

[adjusterjack]

How do I remove my phone number from the listing for someone else, on all the personal data lists that are being sold out there to telemarketers, mailing houses, etc., and published on the internet?

The reality is that you don't.

I was in the same boat until about a year ago. I had my home phone number for about 16 years and I was getting one or two telemarketing calls per day in spite of being on the Do Not Call list.

When I decided to change my phone service I picked a new phone number and rarely get unwanted phone calls.

Those 400 places that have your number - if they want you they'll figure out how to get in touch with you. Otherwise, it's time to weed them out because it's having that many contacts with your phone number that makes it fair game.

[budwad]

Just being on the do not call list is not going to stop marketers from calling if their systems and books have you in their database. You need to take the call and then (usually press 1) talk to a reprehensive as if you are interested in the product. When you get someone, you tell them that the number is on the DNC list and if they call again you will report it. It cost them (I think) $2,000 per violation. So they flag your number and remove it from their database.

It has worked for me.

[Shadowbunny]

There are also free apps that you can use to not only block unwanted calls, but you can see that a call has been reported as spam by other users. I use TrueCaller, but there are several out there.