When Do Robocalls and Spam Texts Break the Law?
Your cell phone is your private property, not a free advertising channel for aggressive marketers and third-party debt collectors. When corporations flood your phone with automated calls and spam texts, they are not just being a nuisance — they are invading your privacy, disrupting your life, and, in many cases, violating federal law.
Why Won't the Calls Stop When I Opt Out?
Consumers register their numbers on the National Do Not Call list, reply "STOP" to automated texts, and block spoofed caller IDs. Yet the calls persist. Many corporate telemarketers and debt buyers treat regulatory penalties as a cost of doing business. They tend to stop only when they face real financial liability in federal court.
What Does the TCPA Require of Callers and Texters?
You do not have to tolerate unwanted calls and texts. The TCPA is a federal statute that protects consumers from invasive telemarketing, automated calls, and unsolicited texts — and for many violations, a company can be held liable regardless of whether it intended to break the law. The TCPA carries real financial consequences: federal law sets statutory damages for each violating call or text, with higher damages available when a violation is willful or knowing. We pursue claims to recover those damages and seek injunctive relief to stop the communications.
Common TCPA Violations We Handle
You may have a federal claim if a company has engaged in any of the following:
- Pre-Recorded & Artificial Voice Calls: Answering a call to hear a pre-recorded message or an artificial or AI-generated voice, without having given the required prior consent. These calls remain restricted under the TCPA regardless of the dialing technology used.
- Ignored Opt-Outs (Revoked Consent): Continuing to send automated texts or calls after you have replied "STOP," opted out, or asked a live agent to remove you from their list.
- Do Not Call Registry Violations: Receiving telemarketing calls after your number has been on the National Do Not Call list for at least 31 days.
- Ringless Voicemails (Direct-to-Voicemail Drops): Software that drops a pre-recorded message directly into your voicemail without your phone ringing. The FCC has treated these as subject to the TCPA's restrictions on automated calls.
- The 'Lead Generator' Trap (Illegal Consent Sharing): Receiving texts from companies you have never heard of because a third-party website sold your supposed "consent" to numerous marketing partners.
- Spam Text Messages: Receiving automated promotional or marketing texts from corporations without your prior express written consent.
- Wrong Number Harassment (Reassigned Numbers): Debt collectors, banks, or lenders repeatedly calling your phone with automated equipment looking for someone else, often a previous owner of your number.
What to Do About Illegal Calls and Texts
If automated calls or spam texts won't stop, a few steps both protect you and strengthen a potential claim. Register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry — telemarketing calls that continue well after you register can themselves point to a violation. When you get an unwanted automated text, reply "STOP" if the message offers it, and note the date you did; a company that keeps texting after you opt out is a common source of TCPA claims. Engaging with a prerecorded call — pressing buttons or speaking to a live agent — can confirm to the caller that your number is active.
Most importantly, keep the evidence. Save the texts, screenshot the messages, and write down the date, time, and number of every call, along with any voicemail left. TCPA claims often turn on showing a pattern — how many calls or texts, over what period, and whether they continued after you said stop — so a clear record of each contact is far more useful than a general recollection. The tool below can help you see whether the calls or texts you've received may point to a TCPA violation.