How to Stop Unwanted Sales Calls and Texts

The calls come at dinner. The texts come at midnight. And the company on the line always insists you “requested information.” Here is what actually works to slow the flood - and how to keep the next one from starting.

Why you’re getting so many sales calls

Sales calls find you through three channels: you contacted a company (quote requests are the strongest buying signal you can send), your number reached a marketing list (through a form, a sweepstakes, an account, or a purchase), or an autodialer simply dialed it. Knowing which one tells you which fix works: the first is about contact hygiene, the second about where your number has been, and the third about blocking and reporting.

Register on the Do Not Call list (and its limits)

Registering at donotcall.gov takes two minutes and it does work - for law-abiding telemarketers, which is more of them than the stereotype suggests. Its limits matter though: it does not cover companies you have done business with recently or that you have requested information from, and it does nothing about scammers, who were already breaking the law. Register, but do not expect it to be the whole answer.

Block, filter, and report

• Block repeat numbers on your phone; carriers and most phone apps also offer spam-filtering.
• Report violations to the FTC. It feels small; in aggregate, these reports drive enforcement.
• Watch the “thanks for your interest” trick: a salesperson who says you requested information is often working from a lead list - your number entered it somewhere. See When a Website Asks for Your Phone Number.

How a protected number prevents the next wave

Every fix above is cleanup. Prevention is a different tool: a protected phone number used for quote requests, listings, and sign-ups keeps your real number out of lead pipelines in the first place. Follow-ups still arrive - you still want the quote - but they arrive contained, in a channel you control, instead of on the number your family calls. See How to Protect Your Personal Phone Number When Shopping Online.

What to do about the number you already gave out

1. Tell each caller once, clearly, to stop - and note the date.
2. Register on the Do Not Call list if you have not.
3. Block numbers that keep calling after you have asked them to stop.
4. For the next round of quotes and listings, use a protected number so the cycle does not restart.

Stop the next wave before it starts - see CovertCaller pricing.