To report a robocall, file with the Federal Trade Commission at DoNotCall.gov or ReportFraud.ftc.gov, file with the Federal Communications Commission at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov, and forward spam texts to 7726 on your phone. Each destination does something different. FTC reports feed large enforcement investigations, FCC complaints target carriers and caller-ID spoofing, and the report to your carrier helps block the specific number across its network. Filing in all three places gives a single call the widest reach.
Write These Details Down First
A report is only as useful as the facts in it. Before you open a complaint form, capture:
- The caller ID number, even if you think it’s spoofed.
- The date and time of the call.
- The phone number that received the call.
- Whether you spoke to a live person or heard a recording. Different rules apply to each.
- What the caller was selling or claiming, plus any company name or callback number.
- Any voicemail. Save it. Recordings help identify who was behind the call.
For spam texts, screenshot the message before you delete it. The screenshot preserves the sender’s number, the message, and the timestamp in one image. If the same source keeps calling, log the pattern in a notes app or spreadsheet. Repeat contacts strengthen an enforcement case.
Reporting to the FTC
The FTC runs two intake sites, and the right one depends on what the caller was doing.
Use DoNotCall.gov for unwanted sales calls and robocalls. Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov when the call involved fraud, a scam, or deception — someone trying to trick you into sending money or handing over personal information.1Federal Trade Commission. National Do Not Call Registry2Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov Both forms ask for the caller’s number, the date, and a short description.
Your report goes into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a database shared with federal, state, and local law enforcement.3Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Sentinel Network The FTC also releases reported numbers to telecom carriers each business day so they can improve call-blocking and labeling.4Federal Trade Commission. National Do Not Call Registry FAQs
The FTC will not call you back or resolve your individual complaint. It uses the aggregated data to build cases under the Telemarketing Sales Rule.5eCFR. 16 CFR Part 310 – Telemarketing Sales Rule When it does bring a case, civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation, adjusted for inflation each January.6Federal Trade Commission. FTC Publishes Inflation-Adjusted Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025
Callers Impersonating the Government
If someone claims to be from a federal agency and demands money or personal information, report the call to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the agency being impersonated. Social Security scams go to the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General. IRS scams go to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tigta.gov.7Federal Trade Commission. How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam If you already gave up personal information, IdentityTheft.gov walks you through the recovery steps.
Reporting to the FCC
The FCC handles the network and carrier side of robocall enforcement, with a focus on caller-ID spoofing and provider compliance. File at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov and pick the “unwanted calls” category.8Federal Communications Commission. Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts You can also use the same form to report that your own number is being spoofed, blocked, or mislabeled. The form ends with a review page before you submit.
The FCC uses complaint patterns to find gateway providers that allow illegal foreign-originated robocall traffic into the U.S. phone network. Under federal rules, gateway providers must take reasonable steps to avoid carrying illegal traffic, respond to traceback requests within 24 hours, and cooperate with investigations.9eCFR. 47 CFR 64.6305 – Robocall Mitigation and Certification The FCC can order service providers to stop carrying traffic from specific sources and can issue forfeiture penalties against violators. Like the FTC, it will not resolve your individual complaint, but it will give you a complaint number for your records.
Reporting to Your Phone Carrier
Reporting to your carrier is the fastest way to trigger a block on a specific number.
For spam texts, copy the message and forward it to 7726, which spells SPAM on the keypad.10Federal Trade Commission. How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages Your carrier may write back asking for the number that sent the message. That data feeds carrier filters that watch for patterns across millions of subscribers.
For voice calls, the major wireless carriers offer free apps with reporting and blocking built in:
- AT&T ActiveArmor screens and automatically blocks spam calls and lets you report numbers.
- T-Mobile Scam Shield provides real-time caller ID, automatic scam blocking, and complaint filing against unwanted callers.
- Verizon Call Filter screens and blocks spam calls and lets you report numbers.
Landline customers can ask their provider about anonymous call rejection and selective call rejection, sometimes available for a small monthly fee. Standalone robocall-blocking devices for landlines generally cost $25 to $100.
Which Calls Are Actually Illegal
Not every automated or unwanted call breaks the law, and reports about legal calls dilute the ones that matter. The Do Not Call Registry does not cover calls from political organizations, charities calling on their own behalf, telephone surveyors, or companies you already have a business relationship with.11Federal Trade Commission. Q&A for Telemarketers and Sellers About DNC Provisions in TSR
The business-relationship exemption has limits. A company you’ve bought from, paid, or received a delivery from can call for up to 18 months after your last transaction. If you only made an inquiry or submitted an application, the window is three months.11Federal Trade Commission. Q&A for Telemarketers and Sellers About DNC Provisions in TSR In either case, if you ask the company to stop, it has to stop.
Automated calls made for emergency purposes — anything affecting health or safety — are exempt from consent requirements.12eCFR. 47 CFR Subpart L – Restrictions on Telemarketing, Telephone Solicitation, and Facsimile Advertising Debt collectors follow separate rules: they can auto-dial landlines (up to three per 30-day period per caller) without written consent, but they need your prior consent to auto-dial or send prerecorded messages to your cell phone.
Even when a caller is exempt, you can always ask to be put on the company’s internal do-not-call list, and it must comply.
What Happens After You File
Neither the FTC nor the FCC will contact you about the outcome of your individual report. Both use complaint data in bulk. The FTC feeds it into the Consumer Sentinel Network for law enforcement nationwide.3Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Sentinel Network The FCC uses it to identify noncompliant providers and guide enforcement.
Your report also contributes to traceback work. An industry consortium traces illegal calls back through the chain of carriers to find the source. All voice service providers must file certifications in the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database confirming they have implemented STIR/SHAKEN caller-ID authentication or are actively blocking illegal traffic.13Federal Communications Commission. Robocall Mitigation Database Providers that fail to file can be fined, and other carriers may refuse their traffic.
You can also send your report to your state attorney general’s office. Many state AGs have their own telemarketing enforcement authority and act on patterns affecting residents.
Suing on Your Own Under the TCPA
Government complaints aren’t your only route. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act gives you a private right to sue. Unwanted robocalls or auto-dialed calls to your cell phone without your consent are worth $500 per violation in damages. If the court finds the caller acted willfully or knowingly, the award can be tripled to $1,500 per violation.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 227 – Restrictions on Use of Telephone Equipment Each illegal call or text counts separately, so damages accumulate quickly.
To sue in federal court, you generally need to show a concrete injury, such as per-call charges, the cost of a call-blocking app, or the intrusion on your time. Many TCPA cases are filed in state court, where standing requirements can be less strict. The widely applied statute of limitations is four years from each violation, though it can vary depending on the court. Detailed records of every unwanted call — dates, numbers, screenshots, voicemails — are what make a lawsuit realistic. Those are the same records that make your FTC, FCC, and carrier reports useful, which is why writing them down at the moment of the call pays off in every direction.