Can telemarketers call me late at night?

Unsolicited and inconvenient calls are one thing, but depending on the time of day and the type of calling device, some calls may violate some basic rules set forth by the FCC and FTC that telemarketers must follow. Being aware of standard telemarketing activities and applicable restrictions can help you avoid unnecessary harassment.

While you can’t stop all telemarketers and other nuisance callers, there are some general times, including late at night and before dawn, when receiving an unsolicited call is extremely rare. However, this does not mean that all telemarketers must adhere to the same restrictions. Automatic dialing devices may not be used after 9:30 pm on weekdays and 6:00 pm on weekends. Hours of operation begin at 9:00 AM on weekdays and 10:00 AM on weekends. The majority of telemarketing calls and other annoying spam calls are generated by such a device, so at the very least, the number of telemarketing calls should decrease dramatically by the end of the night.

However, live voice calls are not restricted to certain calling hours, but the good news is that this type of call is made by a human manually calling a list of numbers, and they are very rarely unsolicited. If you receive such a call, make sure you have not previously dealt with the company that would have given you permission to access personal information. Even companies that make live voice calls must maintain a Do Not Call list, so you can simply ask not to be disturbed again. If you request to be removed from a calling list, stay on the line long enough to receive the federally required registration number. The Internet can provide excellent resources for those trying to learn more about telemarketers using live voice calling and other similar restriction exemptions. Reverse phone lookups can provide the name of a business, and Internet forums like Call Complaint allow users to blacklist particularly troublesome telemarketers.

While you can’t completely stop telemarketing and harassing calls, knowing the rules and your rights can help reduce the frequency of unwanted calls.