Attorney General Lockyer Urges Californians to Report Companies That Violate Do Not Call Law

AG's Office Will Take Complaints While Litigation over Federal Program Continues

Wednesday, October 1, 2003
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

(SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer today urged Californians who signed up on the National Do Not Call Registry before September 1, 2003, to file complaints if they continue to receive commercial phone calls from companies they believe are prohibited from calling them. The Attorney General reminded consumers his office and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take complaints, even while telemarketers challenge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) registry in court.

"The California Attorney General's Office will continue to ensure that Californians who signed up to block telemarketers from calling their homes will have peace and quiet at dinnertime," Lockyer said. "Even while litigation continues over the FTC's national registry, we will fight to protect the privacy of those Californians who registered 6.1 million of the 50 million phone numbers on the national list."

The Attorney General urged consumers to keep a paper and pen close to the phone and note these important pieces of information when receiving calls they believe violate the Do Not Call laws. Consumers should obtain the company's name and phone number and make note of the date and time of the call. Consumers should tell the caller that he or she is on the Do Not Call list and ask whether that company has downloaded the National Do Not Call Registry.

When filing a complaint, consumers also will need to provide their name, a contact phone number, the registered phone number that was called and specify whether the number was registered before September 1. Businesses have three months to stop calling phone numbers registered after September 1.

Lockyer said consumers should keep a running log of unlawful calls to better identify companies that continue to violate the law. To file an online complaint with the Attorney General's Office, go to www.nocall.ag.ca.gov. Consumers also may file a complaint with the FCC by going to fccinfo@fcc.gov or calling 1-888-225-5322.

Some phone calls are exempted under state and federal do not call laws. Charitable solicitations, surveys and political calls are still allowed, as are calls from companies that have done business with the consumer within the past 18 months. However, all companies are required to put a consumer on their internal do-not-call list at the consumer's request. For more information, visit www.ag.ca.gov/donotcall

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