Most people just hang up and move on. But you don’t have to.
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) — enforced by the FCC — you may be able to sue a telemarketer for $500 per violation, and if the violation was willful, that can jump to $1,500. No lawyer required in many cases. Each individual call can count as its own violation, so if they’ve been calling you repeatedly, those numbers can stack. The exact process and limits vary by state, including dollar caps in small claims court, so check your state’s rules.
On top of that, if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry and a telemarketer calls anyway, the federal government can fine that company up to $53,088 per illegal call. That’s separate from anything you’d personally recover — that’s the FTC going after them directly under the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
The FTC handles Do Not Call complaints, and the FCC enforces the TCPA. You can report violations at donotcall.gov. It takes maybe two minutes and actually helps — these complaints are how regulators build cases against repeat offenders.
One important thing to know: the rules here involve two different federal laws (the TCPA and the Telemarketing Sales Rule), and state laws may add additional protections. How much you can recover — and which court to use — can depend on where you live. If you’ve been getting hammered with calls and want to actually pursue it, talking to a consumer rights attorney is a smart move. Many do free consultations.