Start with the call log, not a callback. For a U.S. consumer, the usual choices are:

• FTC ReportFraud for impersonation, payment demands, stolen information, and other scams.
• DoNotCall.gov for covered sales calls, especially those received after your number has been registered for at least 31 days.
• FCC complaints for robocalls, unwanted phone calls, and caller ID spoofing.
• Your carrier's spam tool for blocking or flagging repeat calls.

A report can help regulators spot patterns and support enforcement. It won't guarantee that the calls stop, that a carrier contacts you, or that you'll receive money. If you gave a caller account details or made a payment, contact your bank or payment provider through an official channel right away.

First, identify the call

The FTC's robocall guidance defines a robocall as a call in which you hear a recorded message instead of a live person. Caller ID doesn't prove who called. Scammers can change or spoof the number displayed on your phone.

The legal treatment can depend on the call's purpose, the number reached, your consent, an existing business relationship, the technology used, and state law. Prerecorded telemarketing calls often require written permission, while political, charitable, survey, informational, and emergency calls may be treated differently. An unwanted call isn't automatically an illegal telemarketing robocall.

The National Do Not Call Registry mainly concerns sales calls from covered telemarketers. It generally doesn't stop political calls, charitable solicitations, surveys, debt-collection calls, or scammers who disregard the registry.

Gather the details before you report

Make a separate note for each call while the details are still clear. Record:

• The date, time, and time zone.
• The number that received the call.
• The caller ID exactly as it appeared, including Private, Unknown, or a spam label.
• Any callback number and the organization the caller claimed to represent.
• Whether you heard a recording or spoke with a live person.
• What the caller said, offered, threatened, or requested.
• Whether you gave the company permission to call or had an existing account.
• Whether you asked the caller to stop and whether the calls continued.

Keep screenshots, voicemails, call logs, texts, emails, and payment records. Don't edit the original files. If you record a call, check your state's call-recording consent rules first.

Leave passwords, Social Security numbers, one-time verification codes, and full bank or card numbers out of the complaint narrative. If the caller claimed to be from your bank, a government agency, or another trusted organization, verify the claim independently using a number from an official website, statement, or card.

How to file the complaint

1. Report a scam to the FTC

Go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov if the caller impersonated a government agency, bank, relative, delivery company, or another organization. It is also the appropriate starting point when the caller demanded payment, sought account information, or promoted a fraudulent offer.

Describe the call in plain language. Include the displayed number, any callback number, the date and time, the claim the caller made, and the payment or information requested. If you paid or shared account details, contact the relevant bank or payment provider separately; the FTC report doesn't replace that step.

The FTC uses consumer reports to identify fraud patterns and support enforcement. Filing a report isn't a request for a personal refund, and the FTC doesn't promise that an investigator will contact you.

2. Use Do Not Call for an unwanted sales call

Register your number at DoNotCall.gov and complete the confirmation process. Covered telemarketers generally have up to 31 days to update their calling lists after registration.

If a covered seller calls after that period, use the site's complaint option. Give the seller's name, the number shown, the date and time, and what was being sold. You don't need to register first to report a scam, and registration won't stop every type of call.

A company may have permission to call or an existing business relationship with you. That possibility doesn't make every prerecorded or autodialed call lawful. Report what you remember about consent and the relationship instead of guessing.

3. File an FCC complaint

The FCC Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Center accepts complaints involving unwanted calls, robocalls, telemarketing, and caller ID spoofing.

Choose the phone or unwanted-calls category shown by the current form. Include:

1. The number that received the call.
2. The caller ID number or name that appeared.
3. The date and time, including your time zone if useful.
4. Any callback number.
5. Whether the message was prerecorded.
6. A short description of the script, sales pitch, impersonation, or suspected spoofing.
7. Anything you know about consent, an existing relationship, or a previous request to stop calling.

Give the displayed number exactly as it appeared, even if you believe it was falsified. The FCC complaint process helps identify problems and support enforcement. It isn't a call-blocking service and usually doesn't resolve an individual dispute, award money, or require a carrier to contact you by a fixed date.

4. Consider your state attorney general

A state attorney general may be useful when you can identify the business, the business operates in your state, or a state consumer-protection or telemarketing rule may apply. The official USAGov telemarketer and scam complaint guide can direct you to the relevant state or federal complaint route.

Procedures differ. The Washington State Attorney General, for example, offers an informal complaint-resolution service for Washington residents and for consumers complaining about businesses located in Washington. Its page says the business is asked to respond within 30 days. If the business doesn't respond, or the response isn't satisfactory, the office says the complaint may be closed.

An AG complaint isn't the same as a private lawsuit. The office may not represent you, investigate every report, or obtain an individual refund. Read the privacy notice before uploading documents. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's scam guidance warns that information submitted in a complaint may be shared with the party complained about.

5. Report and block the call through your carrier

Use your wireless or landline provider's spam-reporting feature, call-screening service, or app. Blocking may reduce repeat calls from the same displayed number, but it won't necessarily stop the campaign. Spoofers can change caller ID information easily.

Carrier reporting is a prevention step, not a substitute for an FTC, FCC, or state complaint. Don't pay anyone who promises to remove your number, recover money, or collect a regulatory fine.

Which route fits the call?

A call involving both fraud and spoofing can reasonably be reported to both the FTC and FCC. Use the same accurate facts in each report. Sending exaggerated or unrelated details can make the record less useful.

What happens after filing?

Save the confirmation page, report number, or a screenshot of the submission. It may help if you report another call, contact your carrier, or speak with a state agency.

The FTC and FCC generally collect complaints for analysis and enforcement rather than acting as personal dispute-resolution services. You may not receive a case update, and filing won't automatically make a business call you or pay you. A state AG may contact the business or forward the complaint, but the procedure and response time depend on that state.

Washington's 30-day business-response period is part of that state's informal process. It isn't a universal FCC deadline requiring a carrier to answer every robocall complaint within 30 days.

If the calls continue, keep adding new examples to your records. Repeated calls with the same script, the same business, or calls after a documented stop request can provide more useful evidence than a single vague report.

Where the TCPA may fit

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA, is one federal law that can apply to autodialed or prerecorded calls. Whether it applies can depend on:

• Whether the call was telemarketing, informational, political, charitable, or an emergency message.
• Whether it reached a wireless number or residential line.
• What technology was used.
• What permission you gave and what that permission covered.
• Whether the number was on the National Do Not Call Registry.
• Whether you revoked permission or asked the company to stop.
• Whether a state law imposes additional requirements.

A robocall complaint doesn't by itself prove a TCPA violation. An FTC or FCC report also doesn't start a private lawsuit or decide whether you can recover money. If you're considering legal action, preserve call records, lawfully made recordings, messages, consent records, and written stop requests. A licensed attorney or qualified legal-aid service can assess the facts and any applicable filing deadline.

Reduce future robocalls

• Don't press a number to "remove" yourself from a suspicious recording. The FTC warns that responding can lead to more robocalls.
• Don't call back an unexpected message using the number it provides.
• Turn on your carrier's spam identification and call-screening features.
• Silence unknown callers or send them to voicemail if your phone supports that option.
• Register with the Do Not Call Registry to reduce legitimate sales calls.
• Check voicemail and caller ID before returning an unfamiliar call.
• If someone demands immediate payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, or a verification code, end the call and contact the organization independently.

Robocall complaint FAQ

Can I report a spoofed number?

Yes. Give the FCC the number exactly as it appeared and say that you believe it was spoofed. You can also report the underlying scam to the FTC and flag the call through your carrier. The displayed number may belong to an unrelated person, so don't accuse that number's owner or call it back.

Do I need to report the call to both the FTC and FCC?

No. Match the route to the conduct: the FTC for fraud, Do Not Call for covered sales calls, the FCC for robocalls and spoofing, and a state AG for a state-focused consumer complaint. A scam that also used a robocall or spoofed number can be reported to both federal agencies.

Will the Do Not Call Registry stop all robocalls?

No. The registry is aimed mainly at covered sales calls. Political, charitable, survey, informational, and scam calls may fall outside its coverage or involve different rules. Use it to reduce legitimate telemarketing, but report suspicious calls separately.

Can I file anonymously?

Don't assume that every complaint route offers anonymity. Forms may request contact details, and agencies and state offices have different disclosure policies. Read the privacy notice and provide only what is needed to describe the call. Never include passwords, full financial credentials, or verification codes.

Is one robocall enough to report?

Yes, particularly when it involved impersonation, threats, a payment request, or clear spoofing. Include the date, time, displayed number, message, and requested action. Then save the confirmation and keep a record of any later calls.