Do Not Call

How do I stop unwanted calls from telemarketers?

Vermonters who do not want to be called by telemarketers can sign up with the Federal Trade Commission’s registry for five years online at www.donotcall.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register (TTY 1-866-290-4236).

Are all telemarketing calls prohibited?

Certain calls are not covered by the federal registration law, including calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, and companies from which you have bought something or received a delivery in the past 18 months. If you do not want to get calls from companies that fall into any of these groups, tell the company or charity to put your phone number on their own “Do Not Call” list. Every company and charity is obliged to keep such a list.

But what can I do if I continue to get unwanted calls?

Telemarketing calls made to a number which has been listed on the federal registry for three months, or which are on a company’s “Do Not Call” list, violate Vermont law. If you get a call from a telemarketer that violates Vermont law, you have the right to sue the telemarketer for actual damages or $500 for a first violation ($1,000 for each subsequent violation), whichever is greater.

Is unwanted telemarketing a crime?

Yes. Vermont law also imposes criminal penalties on telemarketers who call a Vermont telephone number without having first registered with the Vermont Secretary of State, unless the company is a federally-regulated financial institution (e.g. a federal bank), or is already regulated by, or registered or licensed with, one of the following Vermont governmental agencies:

• Secretary of State,
• Public Service Board,
• Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, or
• Department of Taxes.

What else can I do?

If you receive calls from a telemarketer whom you think has violated any of the laws described above, please File a complaint on the form at: Consumer Assistance Program Complaints and/or Do Not Call

Or write:

Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program
103B Morrill Hall
University of Vermont
Burlington VT 05405

Or call:

1-800-649-2424
(656-3183 in Chittenden County).

For more information on the federal do not call registry, check the FTC’s do not call website at: Do Not Call.