When a spam call comes in, the useful move is to separate the blocking step from the complaint step. Your carrier or phone can often quiet the next call. Federal complaints are slower, but they matter when they include the date, displayed number, message, and what the caller wanted.

The FTC is the main route for fraud and impersonation. DoNotCall.gov is for unwanted sales calls once your registration has had time to work. The FCC handles robocalls, unwanted texts, and caller ID spoofing.

No report can promise that the calls will stop or that you'll recover money. A complaint with specific details is still more useful than a vague one.

Where to send the complaint

Report to Best for What to expect
DoNotCall.gov Registering your number and reporting unwanted sales calls Helps enforce telemarketing rules, but doesn't stop every scam or robocall
FTC ReportFraud.gov Impersonation, fraud, and deceptive calls Adds information to the FTC's enforcement data; doesn't guarantee an individual investigation
FCC unwanted calls and texts page Robocalls, unwanted calls or texts, and caller ID spoofing Informs FCC policy and enforcement; the FCC says it doesn't resolve individual complaints
Your carrier and phone Blocking, filtering, and labeling calls Can reduce interruptions, but may not identify or punish the caller
Your state attorney general An identifiable business or repeated sales abuse State complaint powers and procedures vary

One call can fit more than one category. An automated message pretending to be your bank can be reported to the FTC as fraud and to the FCC as a robocall or spoofing issue, then blocked through your carrier.

Save the call before you block it

  1. Don't press a number or call back just to test the call. A button prompt can confirm that your number is active, and a spoofed number can lead you to the wrong person. If the message claims to be from your bank, a government agency, or a delivery company, verify it through an official app, statement, or website you already use.
  2. Keep the evidence while it's fresh. Save the call log, voicemail, and screenshots before the entry is buried or deleted.
  3. Match the call to the agency. Fraud and impersonation go to the FTC. A telemarketing sales call goes to DoNotCall.gov. Robocalls, unwanted texts, and spoofing go to the FCC.
  4. Block or silence future calls. Carrier and phone controls provide immediate relief, even when an agency complaint takes time.
  5. Protect your accounts if you shared information. Contact your bank, card issuer, or other affected provider using a trusted number. If there's an immediate threat or danger, contact local emergency services.

Register your number and report a Do Not Call violation

The National Do Not Call Registry mainly covers telemarketing sales calls. It isn't a universal blocklist, and registration won't stop scammers, political calls, charitable solicitations, surveys, or every call made with consent or another legal exception.

Register a number

  1. Go to DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.
  2. Register up to three phone numbers online at one time.
  3. Open the confirmation email for each number and click its link within 72 hours.
  4. Keep the confirmation details for your records.

Telemarketers generally get up to 31 days to update their calling lists. If you registered recently, wait until that period has passed before treating a sales call as a likely Do Not Call violation.

File a complaint

Use the reporting option on DoNotCall.gov when:

Describe what happened rather than guessing who was behind a spoofed number. A displayed number may belong to an unrelated person or business.

If you recognize the company, also ask it to place your number on its internal do-not-call list. Write down when you made that request and keep any confirmation. A company-specific opt-out can matter even when the National Do Not Call Registry doesn't cover the call.

Read the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry FAQs for registration and exception details.

Report a scam or impersonation call to the FTC

Use ReportFraud.gov if the caller tried to:

Include the caller's claimed identity, the reason given for the call, the number displayed, any callback number, the date and time, and what the caller requested. If you lost money, state the amount and payment method, but don't include passwords, full account numbers, or security codes in a public complaint.

The FTC analyzes reports and trends to identify illegal callers based on calling patterns. It says enforcement work has led to more than $290 million in judgments against illegal callers. That figure isn't a promise of compensation. Submitting a report doesn't automatically create a refund, private claim, or payment to you.

For warning signs and ways to reduce calls, see the FTC's robocall guidance.

File a complaint with the FCC

The FCC complaint form covers robocalls, unwanted calls or texts, and caller ID spoofing.

  1. Open the FCC's unwanted calls and texts complaint page.
  2. Select Phone as the service.
  3. Select Unwanted calls/texts as the phone issue.
  4. For most incidents, choose All other unwanted calls/messages as the sub-issue.
  5. If someone is using your own number as the caller ID, choose My own number is being spoofed.
  6. Provide the date, time, number shown, type of call, and a factual description.

Say whether the call was live or prerecorded, how often it happened, what the recording said, and whether it asked you to press a key or call another number. Submit any evidence the form requests, but remove unnecessary financial or identity information.

The FCC says it doesn't resolve individual unwanted-call complaints. You may not receive a personal investigation or response, but the information can support enforcement, policy decisions, and efforts to address spoofing and robocalls.

Use your carrier and phone settings to block calls

Report the number through your carrier's current app, website, or customer-support channel. Carrier tools may let you:

Menus, short codes, and paid features change, so check your carrier's current instructions instead of relying on an old online list. Save your evidence before blocking the caller.

Phone-level controls are often enough for occasional nuisance calls. Third-party call-filtering apps can add caller databases or automated screening, but review their permissions and privacy policy first. Check whether a free trial becomes a paid subscription, how to cancel it, and whether the app can access your contacts or call information. No app can reliably identify every spoofed caller, and aggressive filtering can silence a legitimate call.

Blocking is a protective measure, not a substitute for an FTC or FCC report. It also won't necessarily stop the same operation from calling from a different number.

Keep evidence that makes a complaint useful

Create a short log for each significant call. Record:

Don't edit the original voicemail. If you make a transcript, keep the audio as well. Call-recording laws differ by state and may depend on where each participant is located, so don't record or share a call unless you understand the applicable rule.

A factual description is stronger than a conclusion. You can adapt this wording:

On [date] at [time], I received a [live/prerecorded] call. Caller ID showed [number]. The caller claimed to represent [company or agency] and asked for [money or information]. The message provided [callback number or website]. My number was registered with the National Do Not Call Registry on [date], if applicable.

Why a Do Not Call registration may not stop the calls

Registration doesn't make every unwanted call illegal. The registry primarily addresses sales calls from telemarketers. Calls involving consent, an existing customer relationship, political activity, charities, surveys, or informational messages may follow different rules.

Scammers also ignore the registry. If a caller is impersonating a government agency or trying to steal money, report the fraud even if you never registered your number.

Caller ID spoofing creates another limitation. The number on your screen may have been falsified, so blocking that number may block an innocent subscriber while the real caller continues elsewhere. Include both the displayed number and any number mentioned in the message, and avoid accusing the displayed number's owner without evidence.

What happens after you submit a complaint?

Save the confirmation number, email, or screenshot from each submission. Government complaint portals collect information for analysis and enforcement; they generally don't provide case-by-case resolution or guarantee that a caller will contact you.

If calls continue:

  1. Add new dates, numbers, and messages to your log.
  2. Report materially different calls rather than submitting the same details repeatedly.
  3. Ask an identifiable company to place your number on its internal do-not-call list.
  4. Consider your state attorney general or consumer-protection office if a known business keeps calling.
  5. Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment provider immediately if you sent money or disclosed account information.

Regulatory enforcement and a private legal claim are separate issues. Potential rights and remedies depend on the call type, consent, the number of calls, the evidence, and the law that applies. If you want to explore a claim, consult a licensed attorney or legal-aid organization rather than assuming a complaint guarantees damages.

Common questions

If the number may be spoofed, still report it

Yes. Report the call and explain that the displayed number may be spoofed. Don't call the number back or confront the person who appears to own it. If the caller spoofed your own number, use the FCC complaint option specifically for your number being spoofed.

FTC, Do Not Call, or FCC?

Use the FTC for fraud, deception, and impersonation. Use DoNotCall.gov for unwanted sales calls after your registration has been active for 31 days. Use the FCC for robocalls, unwanted calls or texts, and spoofing. When a call involves both fraud and automated calling, reporting it to both agencies is reasonable.

Will registration stop robocalls?

No. Registration can reduce calls from legitimate telemarketers that follow the rules, but it doesn't stop scammers and doesn't cover every type of call. Blocking and labeling tools may reduce the number reaching your phone.

Does reporting produce a payment?

Not automatically. Reports help agencies identify patterns and pursue enforcement, but a fine or judgment doesn't guarantee a payment to each person who complained. Be cautious of anyone demanding a fee to release supposed government compensation.

What if I'm outside the United States?

This guidance is for U.S. consumers and U.S. phone numbers. If your number is governed by another country's rules, use that country's telemarketing regulator and complaint process instead of assuming the FTC or FCC can enforce foreign law.

Save the voicemail and call log first. Then submit the complaint to the route that matches the call, and block the number after your evidence is secure.