The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Marketing goods or services to potential customers over the telephone, internet or fax is called “telemarketing.”
If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it is a “robocall.” Increasingly, telemarketing is being done using robocall technology which can be intrusive and sometimes illegal.
Because many reputable companies use telemarketing to conduct business using live-call telemarketers and automated robocalls, criminals will also use this method of direct marketing to grab credit card and personal information to steal from their victims. These scams regularly top the list of complaints reported to the Michigan Attorney General Consumer Protection Team.
The Michigan Legislature adopted the federal Do Not Call Registry as the state do not call list for Michigan consumers who do not want to receive telemarketing calls at home or on their cell phones.
Registering your telephone number is FREE, and there are two easy ways to sign up:
The Do Not Call list will keep you off for-profit business call lists, because telemarketers are required to check their solicitation lists and remove all registered numbers. But it is not immediate, and it will not block all robocalls.
Telemarketers update their lists periodically, which according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), means it can take up to 31 days before putting your number on the list takes full effect. Even then, political organizations, charities, and survey takers are legally permitted to call you.
Learn More About Telemarketing Laws Protecting Michigan Consumers
Robocall scams are a pervasive issue in Michigan and across the country.
Don’t become a victim. Protect yourself by listening to actual illegal robocalls and reviewing the scam list.
To minimize telemarketing calls to your home, join the Federal Do Not Call Registry. If you have an active e-mail account, you may register online. To register by phone, dial 888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to place on the Do Not Call Registry.
Registrations should stop most (but not all) telemarketing calls within 30 days of registration and need not be renewed.
If your phone number has been registered on the Do Not Call Registry for 31 days or more, you are encouraged to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Report a Do Not Call Registry violation online or call 888-382-1222.