Indiana Do Not Call List, also known as the Telephone Privacy list, is a service provided by the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division to protect consumers from unwanted telemarketing calls and other unsolicited calls. Here, Hoosiers who no longer want to receive unsolicited calls and texts can easily register on the state’s Do Not Call List with their telephone numbers and they will be exempted from receiving unsolicited calls.
In Indiana, some telephone solicitors are permitted to call numbers on the Do Not Call List because these entities are exempt from the Telephone Privacy law and may continue to contact persons registered on the list. The telephone solicitors exempted from the law include newspapers and charitable organizations (whose calls are made by employees or volunteers), licensed real estate, and insurance agents.
On July 1, 2019, the state legislature increased the exemptions to communications service providers that render broadband internet services, financial institutions, and individuals licensed by the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions according to IC 24-4.4, IC 24-4.5, or 750 IAC 9. The state permits these entities to make sales calls provided that they already have active business relationships with the recipients registered on Indiana Do Not Call List. An active business relationship may be a transaction made within the past 18 months or an inquiry from the recipient within the past three months. This also includes calls in response to an urgent request of the consumer called.
The entities exempted from Indiana Do Not Call Law must introduce themselves by stating the following at the beginning of the call:
- The caller’s real first and last name;
- The name, address, and telephone number of the organization they represent
Is Indiana Do Not Call List Different from National Do Not Call Registry?
Yes, Indiana Do Not Call List is different from the National Do Not Call Registry. The National Do Not Call registry is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), while the state’s list is maintained by the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Both registries help reduce the rate at which registrants receive calls from unsolicited sources, especially telemarketing calls. However, according to the information provided on the Indiana Attorney General's website, the National Do Not Call Registry does not provide the same amount of protection that Indiana's law provides. Nonetheless, interested persons can register their telephone numbers on both lists.
Like the National Do Not Call Registry, telephone numbers on the state’s Do Not Call List do not expire; they remain there indefinitely until the registrants decide to quit the subscription, or the numbers get disconnected and reallocated to other customers. Numbers registered on the National Registry have a waiting period of 31 days before the numbers are finally updated on the registry. On the other hand, numbers on Indiana Do Not Call List are updated quarterly, on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st. Any telephone number registered after the update is held until the next quarter's list.
How Do I Register on Indiana Do Not Call List?
Registration on Indiana Do Not Call List is done online at the convenience of the person registering. On the other hand, Indiana residents may register their telephone number on the state’s Do Not Call List by calling 1.888.834.9969 during office hours. Interested persons may also verify whether their numbers are currently already on the Do Not Call list to avoid repeating the process. If the owner of a registered telephone number intends to move, the person must notify the Attorney General's Office of their new address and phone number. There is no need for re-registration after a person’s phone number has been added to the list. However, the person will need to update the registration if their phone number or address changes.
Residents that have previously registered on the list can remove their numbers from the list or revoke a registration. If a person subscribed to the Do Not Call List still receives unsolicited calls, the person can file a complaint online or call 1-888-834-9969 to request a complaint form. Provide every available information on the call, including the phone number, the name of the telemarketing company, the caller’s name and location at the time of the call, and the product or service that the caller is trying to sell. After completing the complaint form, mail it to:
Data Privacy and Identity Theft Unit
Office of the Indiana Attorney General
302 W. Washington St., 5th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
What Should I Know About Indiana Do Not Call List?
The Telephone Privacy law provides that persons that do not want to receive unsolicited calls and texts can register their numbers on the state’s Do Not Call List. This law applies to both calls within the state and interstate calls. Telephone numbers that can be added include residential landline numbers, wireless or VOIP telephone numbers associated with a residential address, or a prepaid wireless number predominantly used in Indiana. However, the law does not permit business numbers to be added to the Do Not Call list.
Specifically, the Do Not Call law applies to sales calls and some charitable solicitation; other calls like survey calls and political calls fall outside the Do Not Call law. Violating the Do Not Call law is considered an offense, and if the initiator of the call is found guilty after the Attorney General's staff reviews the call recipient’s complaint, they may file a lawsuit to enforce the law. A court can impose a fine of up to $10,000 for the first violation, and up to $25,000 for each subsequent violation. If you receive spam and robocall calls after adding your phone number to the Indiana Do Not Call List and the national Do Not Call Registry, you can identify the callers by running their numbers through reverse phone lookup searches.