Save the call log, the displayed number, and the gist of the pitch before you block anything. Then file with the agency that actually owns the issue: the FCC for unwanted calls, robocalls, and caller ID problems; the FTC for scams and Do Not Call violations; your carrier if you want the number blocked or labeled; and your state attorney general if state telemarketing rules may apply.

A complaint can help regulators see a pattern. It usually will not name the caller for you, get your money back, or start a lawsuit on your behalf.

Choose the right reporting route

If the same call is both a scam and an unwanted robocall, you can report it in more than one place. Give each agency the same facts. Don't guess who placed the call.

Are spam calls illegal?

"Spam call" is a description, not a legal category. An unsolicited call can break the rules because of the caller's conduct, the technology used, your consent, the kind of number called, or a refusal to honor a do-not-call request.

A prerecorded or artificial voice used to sell something is a common problem when you never gave the written permission the sales-call rules require. So is a telemarketer who keeps calling after your number has been on the National Do Not Call Registry for at least 31 days, or a caller who ignores a clear request to stop. Falsified caller ID used to hide the source, or to impersonate a government agency, bank, or business, is another red flag. Treat any ask for payment, account credentials, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a one-time security code as urgent.

Not every unwanted call is treated the same way. Political calls, charitable solicitations, surveys, debt-collection calls, and informational calls can fall under different rules than sales calls. The registry also does not stop scammers who ignore the law. The FTC's robocall guidance explains the main distinctions.

You don't need three calls in one week before you can complain. One suspicious call is enough to report. For a Do Not Call complaint, the 31-day waiting period after registration still matters.

Save evidence before blocking the number

Regulators, a carrier, a bank, or an attorney will want specifics, not a note that the call was annoying. Take a few minutes before you delete the voicemail or hit block.

Record:

• The date, time, and time zone
• The number and caller name shown on your phone
• Whether the call was live, prerecorded, or used an artificial voice
• The caller's claimed name, company, product, or agency
• The message's exact wording, or a careful summary
• Any callback number, website, payment demand, or reference number
• Whether you gave the company permission to call
• Whether you had an existing customer relationship
• When you registered your number with the Do Not Call Registry
• Whether you asked the caller to stop, and what happened afterward

Keep screenshots of the call log, caller ID, voicemails, related texts, and follow-up emails. Store the original files. Don't edit them.

A recording can help, but recording laws differ by state. Check the law where the people on the call are located before you record a live conversation or share a recording. A written log is enough if you don't want to record.

Don't call the number back or press a key to "speak to an agent." Caller ID can be forged, so the number on the screen may belong to someone else. If the caller claims to be your bank, a government office, or another real organization, hang up and reach that organization through a number on an official website, statement, or card.

Leave your Social Security number, passwords, full bank login, and one-time verification codes out of a complaint unless an official agency specifically asks for that information on its secure form.

Register your number with the Do Not Call Registry

Registration can cut legitimate sales calls. It is not a spam blocker, and it will not stop people who already ignore the law.

1. Go to the National Do Not Call Registry.
2. Add your landline or mobile number. The site lets you register up to three numbers at a time.
3. Open the confirmation email and click the link within 72 hours if the site sends one.
4. Wait 31 days before treating a covered sales call as a registry violation.
5. Save the registration date.

The registry generally covers telemarketing sales calls. Political calls, charitable requests, surveys, and some calls from a company that already has a relationship with you, or permission to contact you, can still get through. Some callers also claim a separate legal exemption.

If a real telemarketer reaches you, tell the company to put your number on its internal do-not-call list. Write down the date, company name, and request. A later call is easier to describe if you can show that the company already had your opt-out.

The FTC's National Do Not Call Registry FAQs cover the details.

How to file a complaint with the FCC

Use the FCC for unwanted calls and texts, robocalls, suspected spoofing, and certain caller ID problems. Have the displayed number and the time of the contact in front of you before you start.

1. Open the FCC Consumer Complaint Center.
2. Follow the prompts for phone or unwanted calls and texts.
3. Enter your phone number, the number displayed by the caller, and the date and time of the contact.
4. Describe what happened in plain language. Say whether the call was prerecorded, whether it appeared to be spoofed, and whether you had given consent.
5. Attach supporting material if the form allows it.
6. Submit the complaint and save the confirmation.

Report the number exactly as it appeared, even if you think it was forged. Add a note that the caller ID may have been spoofed. Don't name the caller unless you have independent evidence.

Filing the form is not the same as opening a private case. The FCC may use complaints for enforcement, investigations, and policy work. It does not guarantee an individual investigation, a reply from the caller, or compensation.

The same complaint center also takes related telephone issues, including a number that is being spoofed, blocked, or mislabeled, plus billing and porting problems.

How to report the call to the FTC

Use the FTC for fraud, impersonation, illegal telemarketing, and calls tied to the National Do Not Call Registry.

For a scam or impersonation call

Submit the details through ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include:

• The name the caller used
• The organization the caller claimed to represent
• The reason the caller gave for contacting you
• What the caller requested
• Any payment, login, or personal information you shared
• The displayed number and any callback number
• Whether the message was prerecorded

If you sent money or gave account information, contact the bank, card issuer, or payment service through an official channel first. The FTC report should sit on top of that account-protection step, not replace it.

For a Do Not Call or telemarketing complaint

Use the National Do Not Call Registry to report a covered sales call after your number has been registered for 31 days. Include the caller's business name, the date and time, and the product or service being promoted.

The FTC reviews reports and calling patterns to identify illegal callers. It generally does not act as your lawyer or send a case-status update on every submission. A complaint can support a broader enforcement action without producing a payment to the person who filed it.

If the call involved a sale, a deceptive claim, or a business that refused to honor telemarketing requirements, the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule guidance is a useful reference for what sellers are supposed to disclose and honor.

Report and block the call through your carrier

Carrier tools are usually the fastest way to cut repeat calls. Blocking is a network feature, not a finding that the caller broke the law.

Before you block:

1. Screenshot the call log and save the voicemail.
2. Use your carrier's app, website, or support channel to report the call as spam.
3. Block the number or turn on the carrier's call-filtering feature.
4. Recheck blocked-call and spam-label settings now and then.
5. Keep saving new examples if similar calls still get through.

Menus differ by phone. On an iPhone, the block option is usually on the information screen next to a recent call. Android layouts change by manufacturer and app. AT&T's unwanted-call guidance is one example of why the taps are not identical on every device.

Filtering can label, silence, or block calls, but it will miss some of them. A spoofed number can also be reused or later assigned to an ordinary subscriber. If you add a third-party blocking app, read the privacy policy, permissions, data-sharing terms, and any recurring subscription charge before you install it.

Contact your state attorney general

State attorneys general take complaints about telemarketing, fraud, and conduct that may violate state law. Start with USAGov's guidance on telemarketer and scam-call complaints, then confirm you are on your state's official site.

A state complaint should include:

• Your contact information, if the form asks for it
• The caller's claimed identity and displayed number
• Dates, times, and how many calls you received
• The sales pitch or scam story
• Copies of messages or screenshots
• Your Do Not Call registration date
• Any money lost or information disclosed

An AG's office may investigate, refer the matter, or fold the report into a larger case. That office does not necessarily represent you in a private lawsuit. Response times and remedies differ by state. These routes are for U.S. consumers. Other countries use different regulators and calling rules.

Could you sue over spam calls?

A government complaint and a private lawsuit are separate options. Some unwanted calls may support a claim under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), but only if the facts fit a specific rule.

That can depend on the type of number called, whether the call used an autodialing system or a prerecorded or artificial voice, whether it was a sales call, and whether you gave legally sufficient consent or later revoked it. Your Do Not Call registration date, an internal opt-out request, a possible exemption, and any arbitration clause or class-action waiver in an agreement with the business can all matter. You also need a way to connect repeated calls to the same company or campaign, not just a spoofed number on the screen.

Under 47 U.S.C. 227, certain TCPA violations may carry statutory damages of $500 per violation, with potential trebling for a willful or knowing violation. Those amounts are possible damages in a qualifying private claim. They are not a guaranteed award, and they are not paid automatically because you filed with the FCC or FTC.

There is no universal threshold of three calls, ten calls, or any other count. One call can raise an issue. A long string of calls can still fail if you can't prove consent, identity, or the technology used.

If you are weighing legal action:

1. Preserve the complete call log and original messages.
2. Write down every consent, purchase, signup, or opt-out involving the company.
3. Don't inflate the number of calls or identify a caller from spoofed caller ID alone.
4. Check for official court notices before joining a class settlement.
5. Speak with a licensed attorney who handles consumer telephone claims in the relevant state.

A class action does not require a signup on an unverified website. Participation usually follows an official court notice or a settlement administrator's instructions. An agency report by itself does not start a lawsuit or place you in one.

A complaint template you can adapt

Stick to facts, not legal conclusions:

• Your phone number:
• Call date, time, and time zone:
• Number and name displayed:
• Claimed company or agency:
• Live, prerecorded, or artificial voice:
• Message or sales pitch:
• What the caller requested:
• Consent or existing relationship:
• Do Not Call registration date:
• Date of any internal do-not-call request:
• Evidence saved:
• Money or information lost:
• Action requested: Please record this complaint and review the caller's conduct.

Put only what the agency's form asks for. Keep a private copy of the full file in case a carrier, regulator, bank, or attorney later wants more.

Common questions

Should I report a robocall to the FCC or FTC?

Use the FCC for the unwanted automated call, spoofing, or caller ID issue. Use the FTC for a scam, impersonation, or Do Not Call problem. A scam robocall can go to both.

Does registering with the Do Not Call Registry stop robocalls?

No. It can reduce covered sales calls from legitimate telemarketers. Scammers may ignore it, and political, charitable, survey, and some relationship-based calls can fall outside its scope.

Can I get money by filing an FCC or FTC complaint?

Usually not from the complaint itself. Agencies use reports to find patterns and bring enforcement cases. Money, if it comes at all, tends to come later through a refund program, a settlement, or a separate legal claim.

How can I check my complaint status?

Save the confirmation page or number. FCC and FTC reports are generally collected for enforcement and trend analysis, not handled like a private case with regular updates.

What should I do if I already paid the caller?

Contact your bank, card issuer, wire service, money-transfer company, or payment app immediately through its official channel. Ask what fraud or reversal options exist, then report the scam to the FTC and keep every payment record.

Start with the call log and voicemail already on your phone. File the facts through the official channel that matches the problem, and block the number only after that evidence is saved.